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Henry Kissinger said, “Whenever peace — conceived as the avoidance of war— has been the primary objective of a power or a group of powers, the international system has been at the mercy of the most ruthless member of the international community.”
Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine proves Kissinger is correct. Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait because he thought we were afraid of another Vietnam, but he was not a nuclear power.
When the Soviet Union disintegrated, an agreement was made between Russia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Each would protect Ukraine in case of military attack. In exchange for this protection agreement Ukraine agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons.
Russia, a nuclear power, has broken that agreement, attacked Ukraine and bombed civilian targets. And unless the U.S. wants to start a nuclear World War III, it cannot fulfill its end of the agreement.
China is also a nuclear power. Ukraine has demonstrated we will not militarily defend Taiwan. And that is exactly how it is today. So much for a balance of power maintaining peace. Prince Klemens Von Metternich was an inspiration for Kissinger. A balance of power designed by him in 1815 did not work. And now we see the balance of power created by Kissinger hasn’t worked. But Kissinger’s quote above is truth. So we must recognize that the most ruthless member of the international community must be removed. Until then, we will be on the verge of nuclear war.
Keith Newman
Addison