Opinion | How Biden’s foreign and trade policy flip-flops are confusing US allies

US President Joe Biden faces many international challenges, such as reducing US dependence on China, managing South China Sea disputes, supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and the backlash over his stance on Israel. These issues are reminiscent of America’s geopolitical dilemmas during the Cold War, when Henry Kissinger was a key figure in shaping diplomatic and strategic relations.

History is the ultimate judge of political leaders, and Kissinger is no different. Immediately after the death of the former US secretary of state at 100, he was hailed in the press as a brilliant statesman and also condemned as a shameless war criminal, loathed and loved, reviled and revered.

Kissinger is widely regarded as a realist in international relations, influenced by thinkers such as Thucydides and Machiavelli. Realism is a theoretical framework that emphasises the absence of a central authority above the state and the constraints of politics imposed by national interest.

Kissinger is credited for maintaining America’s powerful reputation – a vital national interest during the Cold War. For instance, as the Cultural Revolution in China was ending, he paid a clandestine visit to Beijing in 1971 to set up the historical meeting between US president Richard Nixon and Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1972. This paved the path for the US to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.