Out of darkness, into dusk

Yes, Henry Kissinger is still alive. He was recently interviewed by the Financial Times (see clip above). It´s not clear to me whether Kissinger doesn´t know what to say, or is dissimulating (after all these years). Probably the latter, since he is still active, in the guise of being "a private student of international relations". Kissinger has met with Putin about 20 times (!), and also had conversations with China´s Paramount Leader Xi. He describes Putin as having a "mystical" view of Russian history, but when asked about Putin´s red line (when would Russia use nuclear weapons?), Kissinger says he has no idea. Maybe he really doesn´t. He *does* sound worried, however...

Kissinger indicates that regime change in Russia or China shouldn´t be an American priority, unless the US is forced into such a situation. He also implies that Russia and China should be treated differently, so they won´t unite against the US (they already have, but Kissinger regards this as unnatural - the interviewer points out that China might want to take Siberia). In other words: one of them should be treated better than the other. However, he refuses to say which nation the US should prefer, but in interviews made some years ago, Kissinger (unsurprisingly) preferred Beijing. The old Secretary of State also discusses his "pingpong diplomacy" with Mao´s China, the purpose of which was to encircle the Soviet Union. 

I get the impression that despite the talk about "a new era" and the worries that Putin might push the button, Kissinger at bottom believes that very little will change "once the war in Ukraine is over". Both Russia and China will remain great powers, and the task of the United States will be to create a balance of power with them, which looks strikingly similar to the old one Henry has been used to most of his life. 

The old dinosaur seems oblivious to the fact that the world actually has entered a new era. An era in which Russia and/or China *or even the United States itself* might collapse. An era of climate crisis, peak oil, famine and Völkerwanderung. Cynically speaking, some idle threat by Russia to nuke a town in the Donbass might become the least of our worries. 

Maybe Henry Kissinger should stay in the shadows...