: His wartime service in the U.S. Army and the discovery of concentration camps reinforced his belief that resisting evil requires physical strength rather than just compromise or norms.

Henry Kissinger's career and worldview were fundamentally products of the global shifts that defined the "American Century"—an era where the United States emerged as the indispensable guarantor of global security. His diplomacy was rooted in , a pragmatic approach prioritizing national interest and the balance of power over ideological or moral absolutes. The Foundations of a Realist Worldview

Kissinger’s strategic philosophy was deeply influenced by his early life and intellectual formation:

: At Harvard, he studied the 19th-century diplomacy of Metternich and Castlereagh, concluding that international stability depends on a "legitimate" order accepted by major powers, where questions of public opinion and morality are secondary to maintaining the status quo. Henry Kissinger and the American Century