ABSTRACT
Academics and policy makers of the post-World War II era were looking to a new world order and a United Nations that would put aside conflict and nuclear weapons for a better future for all. Henry Kissinger had a fundamentally pessimistic view of human nature and always thought that power was the ultimate key in resolving international problems. Central to Kissinger’s approach to reality as he saw it were the use of military force and displays of power—bombings, invasions, clandestine operations, aircraft carriers and other displays of might. Since Kissinger left office in 1977, all subsequent administrations have faced similar problems and have had to make hard choices between a foreign policy based on idealism or realism. The Obama foreign policy was conducted through the bureaucratic apparatus of the State Department, with Secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry playing notable roles.
