【時代週刊】10 問前國務卿基辛格，“論中國”

【時代週刊】10 問前國務卿基辛格，“論中國”

美國前國務卿、著名國際政治家、早年疏通中美關係正常化的關鍵人物基辛格近期其新書“論中國”（On China）問世。美國【時代週刊】就此采訪了基辛格博士(June 6, 2011, “10 question”， 附後)。

筆者還未讀書，僅讀了有限的書評，總體而言得知的是實事求是。

顯然，基辛格博士在書裏對中國的發展變化、和平掘起持肯定態度，引起對中國持反麵看法人士的置疑，基辛格博士是“5 M”黨？“10 問”裏，基辛格博士明確的回答這一提問。其實，政治家嗎，尤其國際政治資訊公司的老板，賺政府的錢也無可非議，但這“M”不是“毛”， 而是“MILLION”。

“10 問”裏，基辛格博士對中、美在不同文化背景下，對解決問題的不同見解，很有意思，直得思考。

對中東、伊拉克的民主進程的看法， 也很中肯。其實，西方的政治家們都很清楚，通向民主的高速公路是不存在的（There is no highway to democracy）。

10 Questions

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger discusses China, Iraq and music of Monty Python

1. Should American be afraid of China?
American needs to understand China, but it needs not be afraid of China.

2. Why not?
Chian and the U.S. are afraid of certain tendencies in each other. China is afraid of America militarily surrounding it. America is afraid that Chian wants to dominate Asia and in effect push us out. I think we should find common projects on which we can work together, that create a sense of cooperation and community, so that the issue of confrontation will arise in relationship to specific pratical cooperative projects rather than strategic confrontation.

3. In your book On China you seem to favor China’s appetite for patience when it comes to foreign relations over America’s affection for the pre-emptive strike?
That isn’t true. What I say is, Americans, based on our history, have found most problems soluble. When an issue arises, we think it can be solved, and then it goes away. That’s in part because our history has been short and very successful. The Chinese history goes back thousands of years, and in their mind, no problem has a final solution; every solution is an admission ticket to another problem. For the Chinese, history is a living reality. That is the psychological difference. But I don’t attach value judgement.

4. Is your rosy view of China informed by your firm’s work for the Chinese government?
We do not take any government as a client – anywhere. And we take no money from Chinese government or any Chinese sources.

5. Do you feel optimistic about the so-called Arab Spring?
It is a tremendous tidstorical event. I don’t believe it is necessarily or as yet a democratic revolution. The challenge we have now is to see how we can contribute to a democratic evolution that is in the first scene of the first act of a fiveact play.

6. Knowing that regime changes is possible in that region without foreign intervention, do you think the U.S. could simply waited a few years on Iraq?
I supported going into Iraq, as did four-fifth of the Congress, even though they’ve forgotten that today. As a general proposition, I do not believe military force should be used for rigime change. But one always has to adjust this to specific circumstances.

7. And now?
It may turn out that Iraq will be the only country in the region with a representitive government.But would I have recommended fighting for 10 years in order to achieve this? I would have said no.

8. Is the U.S. not a member of the International Criminal Court because former Secretary of State like yourself might face prosecution?
The reason we are not a member of the international court is that the work is left to prosecutors who are drawn from a varity of countires who very often cannot understand what the issues are. I do not favor the International Criminal Court, but not even remotely out of fear for myself.

9. Do you ever wish you’d stuck with the first name Heinz?
[Laughs.] No. Not for a moment.

10. Artist from Monty Python to Bob Dyian have songs about you. Do you have a favorite?
This will be shocking to you. I don’t know any of them.