I started making a list of the greatest masters of power, gods of war, and gods of seduction - as well as the "Gods of Power". People that should all be studied for their power, and how they played the game. I wish there was a power profile for each - their life story and personality profile, and their power profile (skills and qualities that gave them power), so I'll just have to make one for my self and for all of us to share and add to. So I would like to start with the great Henry Kissinger.
He was mentioned over 40x in the 48 laws of power and many times in 33 strategies of war.
Henry Kissinger is the one of the most fascinating figures of history, let alone our time. He is certainly the greatest diplomat of our time, and is considered top 5 best diplomat in history. Kissinger completely changed how America conducts diplomacy and foreign affairs. He instilled the ethos of Realpolitik in American diplomacy, and till this day America uses his strategies to maintain power over the whole world. Kissinger is a true "God of Power"
POWER PROFILE : Qualities / Skills of Power
Deep understanding and eye for Power, Power Bases, and Power Dynamics
Forms and cultivates great networks that grow and serve him through out his career - a network that he cultivated since college.
Perfect courtier - charmer - seducer - In the art of seduction Robert Greene places him up there with the great political charmers Bill Clinton and Benjamin Disraeli
Great at reading people, finding what they truly desire and helping them acquire it (also what made him a master negotiator)
A knack for being at the right place at the right time (not luck its from comes from his understanding power, the shifting landscapes and opportunities that arise) a knack that he still has till this day
EFFECTIVE, Performs, Gets things done - savvy fox, and aggressive wolf- gets it done by any means he was even called a "gangster politician"
Conceals his intentions - says less than necessary
Master of Indirection
Makes powerful people so very dependent on him - and when conducting foreign affairs builds tight webs with other powerful governments making them dependent
Doesn't commit to anyone - was called a "a self serving backstabber"
Expert influencer and master manipulator - expert at making powerful people do his will while making them believe its their decisions or brilliant idea - as well as master of subtle controlling or "coloring" the options as RG puts it
Expert Persuader and Negotiator - was known as "The Great Negotiator" and developing this reputation gave him great negotiating power later in his career making negotiations even easier.
Makes his(and Americas) strengths stronger, weakness covered. and neutralizes the strength of his enemies (and America's enemies) and exposes their weakness
Uses his enemies(and americas) as allies when it serves him(America) and uses his(Americas) enemies against other enemies - like courting China and Moa to pressure and scare the USSR
Expert of Remaining formless
As Lincoln said, you destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him. In 1971, during the Vietnam War, Henry Kissinger was the target of an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, a conspiracy involving, among others, the renowned antiwar activist priests the Berrigan brothers, four more Catholic priests, and four nuns. In private, without informing the Secret Service or the Justice Department, Kissinger arranged a Saturday-morning meeting with three of the alleged kidnappers. Explaining to his guests that he would have most American soldiers out of Vietnam by mid-1972, he completely charmed them. They gave him some "Kidnap Kissinger" buttons and one of them remained a friend of his for years, visiting him on several occasions. This was not just a one time ploy: Kissinger made a policy of working with those who disagreed with him. Colleagues commented that he seemed to get along better with his enemies than with his friends