In the winter of 2023, an unexpected appearance appeared at a memorial bar in New York.
Kissinger, who is 100 years old, was slowly pushed into the venue in a wheelchair. Although he is old, his weight is still not light. In the face of an American general in the audience, he asked in public: "China's rise can't be stopped, so how can the United States win it in the future?"
No one could have imagined that this question would have triggered Kissinger’s “last deep answer.”
His answer was simple and meaningful: "Only if the United States is more cohesive than China can it win." There was no talk about strategy, military power, or technology, but instead the three words "cohesion". This answer is not "tough" at first, but when you think about it carefully, you will find that every sentence is right.
A veteran strategist has been in the international situation all his life. In the end, what he said was not whether he could fight or not, but whether he could tighten it. It is worth thinking about.
Cohesion is not the key to empty words, but the key to deciding to win.
Kissinger did not say that the United States had no power, nor did he say that China could not be defeated.He meant very clearly: when the strengths of the two sides are not very different, it is the degree of unity within the national society that really determines who can dominate.
In the past, the United States has always believed in hard power, and everything can be done by technology, military, and economic pressure.
You punish it, it holds; you circumvent it, it unfolds. Hard touching is becoming harder and harder to work. At this point, the decisive factor is no longer how many cards you have in your hand, but whether you can drag everyone together.
He knew that what really makes a country strong is not only economic and military, but more importantly whether the people of the country have common goals, mutual trust, and the ability to stand together in the face of difficulties.
From his perspective, he was not optimistic about America.He knew that America’s problems were not external but internal.Political noise every day, society split, policy repeated, and people’s distrust.
It is almost impossible for a country to want to dominate the international competition for a long time if it does not even determine its direction.
The cohesion of China comes from the sense of stability in its bones
Kissinger is not unfamiliar with China.He has visited China many times over the decades.China’s changes he sees clearly, but what impresses him more is the inner sense of stability of Chinese society in the face of the major events.
This kind of stability is not achieved by external force, but is naturally formed by the entire society from the bottom up.
No matter what happens, everyone knows what to do and knows that they are part of this country. This state cannot be formed in a day or two, but is polished step by history.
He knows that the reason why China can move steadily is because it has a way of operating within. This method is not driven by individual will, but is recognized by the entire society.
Everyone may have different opinions, but at the critical moment, they can be twisted into a rope. This kind of force is the most difficult to deal with in international competition.
And this cohesion, not just by saying it out, is a little done out. Every time a country has difficulty, Chinese society can always quickly mobilize.
Whether it's a natural disaster or an emergency, everyone knows what they should do. This kind of efficiency and response speed are supported by trust and sense of responsibility, not by command.
When Kissinger saw this, he felt that “cohesion” was the lesson that the United States had to supplement, because he knew that such things were not bought by money or by slogans.
America’s shortage is its own shortage.
The problem of the United States is not the lack of resources, nor the lack of talent, but the society is too dispersed.
A policy has just been pushed, and the next government may be overthrown.The differences between voters are growing, and even the most basic public issues are difficult to reach consensus.
In this state of affairs, it is difficult for the government to implement long-term strategies. Everyone talks and goes their own way, but there is no way to make a joint force. Kissinger saw clearly that once this situation occurs in society, no matter how strong the country is, it will not be used.
What's even worse is that dissatisfaction within American society is accumulating. People at the bottom feel that opportunities are getting fewer and fewer, but the elite at the top are still doing well. This imbalance leaves many people without a sense of belonging to the country. If you ask him if he is patriotic, he may say,"It depends."
This mentality, once expanded, will bring the whole country into the state of "everyone cares about himself".
To go deeper, the United States used to maintain society by a common value, but now these values are also wavering. People from different ethnic groups, different classes, and different regions have different understandings of what the "American spirit" is. Even the national flag is said to "not represent me."
You say that a country doesn't even have a consensus on symbols, so what else can we expect society to unite?
At this time, Kissinger put forward the three words "cohesion", which seemed particularly weighty. He is not saying that he wants the United States to become China, but that if the United States cannot even achieve basic unity, no matter how many warships it has, it will be useless.
Kissinger's answer is not a strategy, but a direction
Many people think that it is too idealistic for Kissinger to still talk about these things when he reaches 100 years old? Not really. He said this because he saw through the essence of the problem.
He did not talk about how to encircle China, nor how to technologically suppress China, but instead looked back at whether the United States itself has the ability to tighten the country.
His answer was not to teach tactics, but to remind him of the direction. It's like in a tug-of-war, he tells you that you can't win by just strength, but by whether you can persist to the end.
And the prerequisite is that you have to have an unshakable team.
He has seen the rise and fall of too many countries in his life, and has also experienced the peak and end of the Cold War. He knows that strength is important, but what is more important is whether the country has long-term resilience.
Resilience is not achieved by stimulating the economy, but is supported by a society's common understanding and action of the future.
Therefore, his answer was called "Central Ken." no whistle, nor avoid the question, but say the word to the root.
The line of victory and defeat lies not in the opponent, but in yourself
A strategist who is about to finish his life does not ultimately say how to fight opponents, but how to fix himself.
For the United States, what it really needs to worry about is not what China has done, but whether it can maintain a society with direction, trust and cohesion. Otherwise, no matter how strong the national strength is, it will be consumed internally.
And the reason why China is so valued by Kissinger is precisely because it has taken its own path.This path is based on accumulation of history, cultural identity and social synergies, not created overnight.
The future of the great powers is not a short run, but a marathon. Whoever can run to the end, whoever is eligible to say "win."Kissinger's words are not a high theory, but an experienced old man, a truth about the future world.
Because, in the final analysis, the real strength of a country lies not in fists, but in people's hearts.