From China to Kent, Henry Kissinger shares his views

KENT — Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stopped by the Fife ’n Drum to share a formal dinner with the Kent Lions Club and to take questions from his dining partners Friday, April 9.

The event gave attendees the opportunity to try to trip up the legendary politician and to ask deep-seated, unanswered questions they’d been holding on to for years. He dodged some, artfully, but answered most, thoughtfully.

Before dinner, Kissinger sat in front of an American flag and a Lions Club flag as people lined up to meet him, shake his hand  and take photos with him and his wife, Nancy.

After guests had wined and dined, Kissinger stood behind a podium featuring the Kent town crest and took questions from the crowd about everything from China to local politics.

In answering a question about foreign relations with China, Kissinger compared the ages of the two countries. He said that China has a 4,000-year legacy, the longest of any surviving country, and the United States is the youngest.

He went on to explain that the Chinese believe nothing can be solved in a finite time because every solution will result in another problem, whereas the United States always thinks of everything as a straight line with an end in sight.

To share a common evolution with China, which Kissinger said is essential for America’s future, the two countries must come together from different sides and understand each other’s problems.

The final question came from Kent’s first selectman, Bruce Adams, who asked Kissinger what qualities make a good leader.

The two qualities that Kissinger said he would look for most in a leader would be the vision to see a solution through and the courage to lead in the face of opposition.

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