Nobel Prize-winner Henry Kissinger has been nominated for Canada’s Lionel Gelber Prize for his book On China.

In the book, which reflects his long-time interest in China relations, the former U.S. secretary of state examines how China has approached diplomacy throughout its history and reflects on the global balance of power in the 21st century.

The international literary award, named for Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, celebrates the best English, non-fiction book on foreign affairs. It comes with a cash prize of $15,000

The other contenders are:

• A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman, a historian who divides her time between New York and London.
• Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Frederick Kempe of Washington, D.C., who is president of the Atlantic Council and was a journalist with The Wall Street Journal.
• Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra F. Vogel, a Harvard professor specializing in Far East affairs.
• George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis, an American scholar of the Cold War.

"The essence of international relations is how we deal with the changing realities of power: often, the rise and fall of nations and state systems," said jury chair George Russell, executive director of Fox News.

"This year's extraordinarily strong list of Lionel Gelber Prize finalists deals with this fundamental issue around the globe and throughout modern history."

Also on the jury are British historian Gaynor Lilian Johnson, U.S. economist Russell Roberts, Wall Street Journal editor Daniel Paul Henninger and University of Toronto’s William Thorsell.

The 2012 winner will be announced Feb. 27 and will give a lecture in Toronto on March 15.