Who you gonna call now that Kissinger’s gone?

THE death of Henry Kissinger last November created the world’s most exclusive job vacancy: that of wise man to the world. When he left his job as secretary of state in 1977, Kissinger did not so much retire as ascend to a higher level: informal adviser to world leaders of every party, fount of wisdom on all things geopolitical, provider of gravelly commentary for radio and television, and all-purpose political consultant. Who can we get to replace him?

To answer this question, we need to first ask why Kissinger was irreplaceable for so long. The German-born statesman was a remarkable blend of opposites: highly intelligent but practical-minded, wonderfully learned but a fixture at flashy social functions (at one Met Gala he was heard asking, of a fellow guest, “Who is this Fluff Daddy?”).

He succeeded in being everywhere and knowing everyone: I remember watching him at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in the early 2010s thronged by Russian and Western businesspeople and politicians, the second most popular man in the room after Vladimir Putin.