Henry Kissinger – Beacon for Diplomacy

Evan Bruccoleri

30 Oct, 2023

Henry Kissinger – Beacon for Diplomacy

By Evan Bruccoleri

Israel, home to one of the cradles of civilization and to some of the most Christian, Judaic, and Muslim holy sites in the world, faces renewed threats to its sovereignty. On October 7th, Hamas terrorists led an unprovoked, egregious attack from the Gaza strip on the Jewish people. These same people still remember, and some even survived, the Holocaust. Over 1,400 people in Israel have been killed and likely more than 5,400 injured since the beginning of the war,1 a stunning toll which requires necessary action from the Israeli Defense Force, supported by allies and partners, through multiple tools of power.

In the complex world of global diplomacy, the Middle East is a region teeming with deeply rooted historical conflicts, multifaceted relationships, and strategic implications, especially in the contested territorial claims in the Levant. As today’s challenges evolve, we reflect on the strategies of iconic diplomats such as Henry Kissinger that provide invaluable insights into this complex region. This discourse delves into the contemporary dynamics in the Middle East and seeks to draw parallels with the diplomatic maneuvers of yesteryears, spotlighting Kissinger’s legacy of pragmatism, stakeholder management, and strategic engagement as an instructive case study. 

To understand how the U.S. could manage stakeholders during the Israel crisis, it is important to understand the wide-ranging nature of leadership in the Middle East and how each leader could or could not be leveraged for the national interest of the United States. Regional actors like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan all possess their own territorial, religious, sectarian, and military concerns. Starting with Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and president of the Palestinian people since 2005, publicly reaffirmed his belief that the PLO is the legitimate group that represents all Palestinians which reminds us how Hamas is different from the PLO.2 Yahya Sinwar is the current Palestinian leader of the terrorist organization Hamas, which is also the politically elected government in the Gaza strip. Sinwar is an unlikely candidate for any diplomatic coordination at this time. Hamas’s acute terrorist threat in Gaza and information warfare are significant challenges to Israel’s national defense, and working with the PLO will likely continue to have its own diplomatic challenges. 

The influence of external players, particularly Iran, compounds further complexity with regional implications. Iran, which funds and supports Hamas’s terrorist acts in Israel, Hezbollah’s in Lebanon, and the Houthis’ in Yemen, chairs an “axis of resistance”, a phrase coined by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. This cohort of state and non-state actors already actively threatens U.S. interests in the Middle East by enabling Iranian-Aligned Militia Groups (IAMGs) multiple attacks on U.S forces since October 7th.3 Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian plays a key role in managing Iranian public messaging, having visited leaders in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq in recent weeks.4 How the U.S. deals with the Iranian actions will certainly influence the regional actions the U.S. takes diplomatically. 

There are many stakeholders in managing a foreign policy crisis, especially when it involves a close ally. Navigating this crisis requires deliberate leadership and engagement at many levels, including a few key cabinet members. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel twice since Hamas’s attack on October 7th and both times has reiterated the U.S.’s support to Israel and Israel’s obligation to defend itself and its people.5 Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III engaged King Abdullah II of Jordan reinforcing U.S.’s commitment to Jordan’s security. He met with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and reiterated the U.S.’s commitment to preventing conflict escalation and expediting security assistance. And lastly, Secretary Austin met in person last week with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirming the U.S. support to Israeli national defense.6 7 Both cabinet members likely engaged with Israeli leadership in many other calls. These leaders likely look to build off the principles of the Abraham Accords, which helped normalize relations between Israel and the Arab world. While present-day diplomats steer through the current crisis and Middle Eastern politics, historical figures like Henry Kissinger provide priceless lessons from former diplomatic endeavors.   

Henry Kissinger is a renowned statesman and foreign policy expert. His diplomatic work spanned decades between Vietnam and the Cold War, and his tradecraft continues to impact American diplomacy today. Notably, his work on soft power in China and the Middle East represent a significant strategic hole in America’s engagements today. Even the language he uses, as in the chapter on the Middle East in his book World Order, showcases a leader intent on fostering peace and how Kissinger can craft the divisive narrative into practical policy goals. “The combination of balance-of-power strategy with partnership diplomacy will not be able to remove all adversarial aspects, but it can mitigate their impact. Above all, it can give Middle East and American leaders experiences in constructive cooperation and convey to their two societies a way of building toward a more peaceful future”.8

I admire Henry Kissinger because he lived the experiences of a U.S. statesman in times where the future of the U.S. in the world order was continuously challenged. He personally crafted the Middle East regional order amid the Cold War with Russia, effectively cratering Russia’s motivations in a region that experienced four wars in 25 years. Additionally, he was steeped in military tactics and espionage having participated as an intelligence soldier in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Here is a diplomat that truly understands the effects warfare has on a nation.

The U.S. needs visionary diplomatic leadership like that of Henry Kissinger today to smartly engage with our foreign adversaries and partners for the best possible strategic situations for the U.S. His innovative approaches to diplomacy, epitomized by tactics like his famed ‘shuttle diplomacy,’ were  the result of the combination of his diplomatic strategy and military insight.  Kissinger’s ‘shuttle diplomacy’, his way of traveling to Middle East capitals as he brokered peace during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, was effective in realizing his “realpolitik”. Realpolitik is simply defined as – realistic politics based on the needs of the state. Kissinger’s diplomacy resulted in Israeli-Egyptian agreements in the Sinai in 1974-75, an Israeli-Syrian agreement to disengage in the Golan heights in 1943, and concluded with a Israeli and Egyptian peace treaty in 1979. In realpolitik, he emphasized a pragmatic approach to international relations. Kissinger prioritized the U.S. national interests as the central driver of the nation’s foreign policy and that the objectives of stability, security, and power were necessary over idealistic end states. In this vein, Kissinger had to overlook the moral dilemmas and authoritarian Middle East challenges at the time to engage in diplomacy focused foreign policy to prevent all out regional conflict. Kissinger continues to advocate for a “blend of realism and idealism” as the approach to U.S. foreign policy ends.9 In his most recent interview with Axel Springer on October 11th, Kissinger argued that peace is inconceivable until there is retribution and a serious limitation of Hamas’s capabilities. This reinforces Kissinger’s ideals for ultimate peace but reaffirms that in order to obtain peace, legitimate warfare is a consequence that is an incremental step to a realistic endstate.

Martin Indyk’s Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy details Kissinger’s work in the Middle East and identifies Kissinger’s regrets in not trying to consider the Palestinian future and bringing in the U.S.’s ally, Jordan to help broker an agreement.10 This example further highlights the complexity of negotiations rife with religious and sectarian territorial claims but also emboldens the argument that Kissinger’s incremental approach has validity. Kissinger had other diplomatic and leadership failings. He led the U.S. as the National Security Advisor in 1969 through the second half of the Vietnam War in which led to South Vietnam’s failed attempt to handle the Vietcong and the U.S. dramatically withdrawing. Other commentators argued Kissinger’s policies manifested other challenges the U.S. now faces.

As the complexities of the Levant and the Middle East continue to challenge modern diplomats, the strategies, and philosophies of past leaders like Kissinger serve as a beacon, guiding current and future statesmen. While no two eras are entirely analogous, the principles of pragmatism, strategic engagement, and understanding complicated stakeholders remain critical. As the U.S. moves forward, embracing the lessons from our past while adapting to the evolving warfare and geopolitical landscape becomes imperative for the crafting of effective and sustainable diplomatic solutions. As we enter the third week of the crisis Israel’s sovereignty faces, from Hamas and likely other radical actors, we can seek leadership from diplomats of the past who’ve successfully navigated and negotiated their way, with the principle of the U.S. national interest at the forefront of their policy pursuits.

About the Author:

Evan Bruccoleri is an active-duty Army Infantry officer and is currently service at the Headquarters Department of the Army.

Endnotes:

  1. “Israel’s Operation Sword of Iron Update 10/26.” 2023. https://jinsa.org/jinsa_report/israels-operation-swords-of-iron-10-26/.
  2. “Antony Blinken meets Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Amman,” NBC News, October 13, 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/antony-blinken-meets-palestinian-leader-mahmoud-abbas-amman-rcna120115.
  3. “Iran Update, October 23, 2023.” 2023. Institute for the Study of War. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-october-23-2023.
  4. Iran warns of ‘far-reaching consequences’ if Israel not stopped,” Reuters, last modified October 14, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-warns-far-reaching-consequences-if-israel-not-stopped-2023-10-14/.
  5. Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant After Their Meeting,” U.S. Department of State, last modified [October 14th, 2023], https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-israeli-defense-minister-yoav-gallant-after-their-meeting/.
  6. Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Call With King Abdullah II of Jordan,” U.S. Department of Defense, last modified [October 23rd, 2023], https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3559025/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iiis-call-with-king-abdullah-ii/.
  7. Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Call with Israeli Minister.” U.S. Department of Defense, [October 14th, 2023]. [https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3557542/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iiis-call-with-israeli-minister/].
  8. Kissinger, Henry. World Order. New York: Penguin Press, 2014.
  9. Ibid.
  10. Indyk, Martin S. 2022. Master of the Game. New York: Knopf.