By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan
Former Chief Speech-Writer of the UN Secretary-General
The Economist of May 20-26, 2023, carries a riveting article, “How to prevent a third world war”, based on an eight-hour interview with veteran global strategist, Dr Henry Kissinger, who turns 100 during the month of May. It has searching insights into the current great-power predicament. During its forthcoming membership of the UN Security Council, Guyana will be challenged by the issues Dr Kissinger addresses.
Kissinger considers that we’re in a new world fraught with dangers. In Beijing they have concluded that America will do anything to keep China down. In Washington they are adamant that China is scheming to supplant the United States as the world’s leading power: “Both sides have convinced themselves that the other represents a strategic danger. We are on the path to great-power confrontation.” In the midst of this, China is seeking to create its own world order, in so far as it can.