The List: The World's Kissingers

A country's foreign policy is often defined less by its elected leader than its behind-the-scenes operators and elder statesmen. Here are four figures setting the global agenda for the world's emerging powers, just as Henry Kissinger set America's for over 50 years.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | MARCH/APRIL 2010

LEE KUAN YEW

Country: Singapore

Age: 86

Position: Former prime minister, current "minister mentor" (a cabinet-level position created specifically for him)

Legacy: After shepherding Singapore to unprecedented economic growth over his 31 years as prime minister, Lee has become an apostle for the Asian model of growth, a mix of economic liberalization and rigid political control.

Lee always said that Singapore's foreign policy was dictated by its small size -- it cannot survive without international and regional cooperation. But the influence of his ideas can be seen in the "peaceful rise" and not so peaceful governance of the world's most populous country: China.

Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images

 

Joshua E. Keating is associate editor at Foreign Policy.

GRANT

1:43 AM ET

February 22, 2010

Interesting but I find one

Interesting but I find one thing strange. It is the mention of an "alliance" between Brazil, Russia, India, and China. If we take that to mean that the four are similar I suppose it works. However the word "alliance" suggests strong ties and agreements of support. At the best of times India and China only get along, Russia and China only worry more about the U.S than each other, and Brazil doesn't have very strong ties to any of them.

 

WILDTHING

3:02 PM ET

March 6, 2010

Kissingers???

We can do without kissingers in the 21st century unless we want a repeat of the horrors of the 19th and 20th centuries off realbad politic...

 

ADR1NY

3:25 PM ET

March 24, 2010

err...what?

Have you looked at Dr. Kissingers' policies? Let's not forget that it was Kissinger who got the North Vietnamese to the table and back when they left (and won the Nobel Peace Prize for it)

He exploitted the Sino-Soviet split that led to a new relationship with China and helped to exploit a weakness of an adversary.

So in what way is Kissinger bad?

 

TAKYETTIN

3:14 AM ET

March 11, 2010

big big man

as a turkish citizen i am really proud of to have a foreign minister like Mr.Ahmet Davuto?lu. so long ago when i was at the university in istanbul i saw him for the first time at a conference to university student. ? was very impressed with his speech his knowledge, wisdom and his competence and perfection on the. subject. as of the time, i have never given up watching him. every people interested with international concerns, affair know ,and likely read, his materpiece "Strategic Depth" book. ? feverishly advice all people read the news an want to learn about him and his bigness