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Kissinger
He is Sadat's brother, Golda's son, Chou's strolling partner. He is also a Nobel Laureate and a charming hieroglyphic whose skill, wit, and total aplomb have virtually eclipsed the presidency. The world is his stage - Peking, Moscow, Cairo, Tel Aviv - and to all these arenas of power, Marvin and Bernard Kalb have traveled with him. This is their portrait of Henry Kissinger, giant of the twentieth century. In this book the authors examine the method and meaning of Henry Kissinger's foreign policy.
577 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 25, 2022
At the World Economic Forum, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger suggested Ukraine cede territory to make peace with Russia. Well, I disagree with and beside the fact that I was surprised to learn he was still making appearances and pronouncements, I realized I didn't know if that was expected he would say that, unexpected or what. Well, I had this book on my shelf, so I though it a good time to read it and see if it could help me form an opinion on that.
This book fairly lauds Kissinger throughout, so it is not a deep analysis. Also it ends with the Nixon presidency and has not much to say about Watergate. It does convince me Kissinger was pro-NATO, tolerant of considering limited nuclear conflicts and also very successful while, at least at the onset, being a Rockefeller man with little respect for Nixon. Kissinger's meteoric rise from seizing opportunities in post-WW II Europe reconstruction led his to be a pivotal, mobile diplomat during very active years on the global stage. Seeking an end of the Vietnam War, Nixon and his National Security Adviser Kissinger, moved toward détente with Russia. Kissinger was instrumental in making inroads with Mao's China also as an outgrowth of disentangling from Hanoi. There is much personal and interesting details of negotiations and clandestine meetings. Toward the end of this time Kissinger was also in the thick of the Yom Kippur War diplomacy made worse by the embargo imposed by oil-producing Arab countries in October 1973 in retaliation for support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
During this time, Kissinger made bluntly clear to Soviet representative that under no circumstances would the U.S. allow a military contest using U.S. arms to be seen as a defeat by Soviet arms. Maybe he does not feel that way on Putin's Russia?
This book fairly lauds Kissinger throughout, so it is not a deep analysis. Also it ends with the Nixon presidency and has not much to say about Watergate. It does convince me Kissinger was pro-NATO, tolerant of considering limited nuclear conflicts and also very successful while, at least at the onset, being a Rockefeller man with little respect for Nixon. Kissinger's meteoric rise from seizing opportunities in post-WW II Europe reconstruction led his to be a pivotal, mobile diplomat during very active years on the global stage. Seeking an end of the Vietnam War, Nixon and his National Security Adviser Kissinger, moved toward détente with Russia. Kissinger was instrumental in making inroads with Mao's China also as an outgrowth of disentangling from Hanoi. There is much personal and interesting details of negotiations and clandestine meetings. Toward the end of this time Kissinger was also in the thick of the Yom Kippur War diplomacy made worse by the embargo imposed by oil-producing Arab countries in October 1973 in retaliation for support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
During this time, Kissinger made bluntly clear to Soviet representative that under no circumstances would the U.S. allow a military contest using U.S. arms to be seen as a defeat by Soviet arms. Maybe he does not feel that way on Putin's Russia?
January 5, 2018
A good read but all in all an extremely fawning book. The authors are awe struck by Kissinger's brilliance and indefatigable work ethic. I liked it for the recaps of all the shuttle diplomacy - to China, particularly the initial secret meetings, the Vietnam negotiations, and the Middle East shuttles. If you're a foreign policy/international affairs/Nixon era junky, it's a great read. Also, my parents were both diplomats so it's interesting to me in that respect as well.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews