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Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level
Foreword by Henry Kissinger In this groundbreaking, definitive guide to the art of negotiation, three Harvard professors—all experienced negotiators—offer a comprehensive examination of one of the most successful dealmakers of all time. Politicians, world leaders, and business executives around the world—including every President from John F. Kennedy to Donald J. Trump—have sought the counsel of Henry Kissinger, a brilliant diplomat and historian whose unprecedented achievements as a negotiator have been universally acknowledged. Now, for the first time, Kissinger the Negotiator provides a clear analysis of Kissinger’s overall approach to making deals and resolving conflicts—expertise that holds powerful and enduring lessons. James K. Sebenius (Harvard Business School), R. Nicholas Burns (Harvard Kennedy School of Government), and Robert H. Mnookin (Harvard Law School) crystallize the key elements of Kissinger’s approach, based on in-depth interviews with the former secretary of state himself about some of his most difficult negotiations, an extensive study of his record, and many independent sources. Taut and instructive, Kissinger the Negotiator mines the long and fruitful career of this elder statesman and shows how his strategies apply not only to contemporary diplomatic challenges but also to other realms of negotiation, including business, public policy, and law. Essential reading for current and future leaders, Kissinger the Negotiator is an invaluable guide to reaching agreements in challenging situations.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2018
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936 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 26, 2018
This is an odd book in which three negotiation gurus from the different professional schools at Harvard (Business, Government, Law) examine the negotiation career of Henry Kissinger to see how his foreign policy negotiations measure up in terms of current canons and frameworks of how negotiations is studied at Harvard. That is correct - this is an extended Harvard case study of HK, who joined the Harvard faculty not long after finishing his undergraduate studies, who became a legend for his thesis on Metternich (A World Restored) and for “Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy”, and who was said to be the model for Dr. Strangelove in Stanley’s Kubrick’s movie. And this was before he went to work for Nixon and Ford.
The suspense is killing me - how will he measure up? Not to worry. The mother ship takes care of its own and Kissinger turns out to be a master negotiator who racked up some lasting results in the course of his career. There were bumps along the way, such as in Vietnam, but all in all Kissinger did some memorable and lasting work. Not everyone agrees of course, but that is OK. The authors address the uneven reception of Nixon and Kissinger’s work on Vietnam by focusing on the key assumptions that they brought into the episode, noting that these did not stand up well as the Vietnam War and its aftermath unfolded - but that is what they presumed at the time. There are lots of critics of the Vietnam negotiations anyway, so it is not that critical here, and HK tried to return his Nobel prize, anyway.
This is a very readable book that is actually much more accessible than when these cases are written up as long memoirs or histories. The general negotiations framework employed in the book is an effective way to organize lots of dense material around understandable processes of negotiation and implementation, supplemented by hefty sprinklings of context. So if one has not read a lot of Kissinger, this book is a nice and understandable introduction. The authors had a lot of materials to work with, given that Kissinger himself has told his story at great length. There are some recent and capably written bios out on him by Isaacson and Ferguson. Kissinger is perhaps only surpassed by Churchill as a statesman who was able to write the history that formed the public account of his career. Recognizing this, I wondered how the book could turn out any differently than it did. The story of Kissinger as master negotiator has been out on the table for quite some time in nearly the same terms as those used by Sibenius and his coauthors to organize their work.
I do struggle a bit with what negotiation frameworks add to histories such as those reported here. Negotiations have long been part of diplomacy and they have always been complex, including everything from broad macro political perspectives, local knowledge, personal idiosyncrasies among negotiation teams, and the particular structures of the problems being negotiated. To a skeptic, they boil down to the prescription of “think hard about what you are negotiating and manage the process at all relevant levels”. I get it, serious negotiation is really complicated and a master negotiator will need to balance the broad and the narrow, the long term and the immediate, the national and the personal, the economic and the political. I am not sure what placing these terms into a framework does or how condensing the huge complexity of the situation into a series of more abstract case profiles helps the reader understand the reality more effectively. Of course it is better than just going on an abstract framework, but the devil is in the details, right, and the reader will almost never grapple with the authentic complexity of the negotiation situations.
The initial discussions of Kissinger’s work to end white minority rule in Southern Africa are to me the best parts of the book - and the least discussed elsewhere. The sections on Vietnam and the Middle East are good, but given the huge volume of work on these conflicts, I had more trouble seeing the value added over what is already out on these crises. The authors attempt to make the book more broadly relevant by arguing that HK’s approach is applicable to business and non-governmental settings too. Their efforts ring a bit hollow and seem undeveloped. Perhaps another case study to make the point would have been helpful.
All in all, this is an enjoyable and useful book that can likely serve as a nice supporting text in a class taking a broad view of negotiation and international politics. It is well worth reading.
The suspense is killing me - how will he measure up? Not to worry. The mother ship takes care of its own and Kissinger turns out to be a master negotiator who racked up some lasting results in the course of his career. There were bumps along the way, such as in Vietnam, but all in all Kissinger did some memorable and lasting work. Not everyone agrees of course, but that is OK. The authors address the uneven reception of Nixon and Kissinger’s work on Vietnam by focusing on the key assumptions that they brought into the episode, noting that these did not stand up well as the Vietnam War and its aftermath unfolded - but that is what they presumed at the time. There are lots of critics of the Vietnam negotiations anyway, so it is not that critical here, and HK tried to return his Nobel prize, anyway.
This is a very readable book that is actually much more accessible than when these cases are written up as long memoirs or histories. The general negotiations framework employed in the book is an effective way to organize lots of dense material around understandable processes of negotiation and implementation, supplemented by hefty sprinklings of context. So if one has not read a lot of Kissinger, this book is a nice and understandable introduction. The authors had a lot of materials to work with, given that Kissinger himself has told his story at great length. There are some recent and capably written bios out on him by Isaacson and Ferguson. Kissinger is perhaps only surpassed by Churchill as a statesman who was able to write the history that formed the public account of his career. Recognizing this, I wondered how the book could turn out any differently than it did. The story of Kissinger as master negotiator has been out on the table for quite some time in nearly the same terms as those used by Sibenius and his coauthors to organize their work.
I do struggle a bit with what negotiation frameworks add to histories such as those reported here. Negotiations have long been part of diplomacy and they have always been complex, including everything from broad macro political perspectives, local knowledge, personal idiosyncrasies among negotiation teams, and the particular structures of the problems being negotiated. To a skeptic, they boil down to the prescription of “think hard about what you are negotiating and manage the process at all relevant levels”. I get it, serious negotiation is really complicated and a master negotiator will need to balance the broad and the narrow, the long term and the immediate, the national and the personal, the economic and the political. I am not sure what placing these terms into a framework does or how condensing the huge complexity of the situation into a series of more abstract case profiles helps the reader understand the reality more effectively. Of course it is better than just going on an abstract framework, but the devil is in the details, right, and the reader will almost never grapple with the authentic complexity of the negotiation situations.
The initial discussions of Kissinger’s work to end white minority rule in Southern Africa are to me the best parts of the book - and the least discussed elsewhere. The sections on Vietnam and the Middle East are good, but given the huge volume of work on these conflicts, I had more trouble seeing the value added over what is already out on these crises. The authors attempt to make the book more broadly relevant by arguing that HK’s approach is applicable to business and non-governmental settings too. Their efforts ring a bit hollow and seem undeveloped. Perhaps another case study to make the point would have been helpful.
All in all, this is an enjoyable and useful book that can likely serve as a nice supporting text in a class taking a broad view of negotiation and international politics. It is well worth reading.
November 5, 2018
A Highly Edifying and Pleasurable Read
This book will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about negotiations, high level diplomacy, or Kissinger himself. The book follows the structure of business school case teaching, wherein students read about a real life situation and then are led by an instructor through a structured discussion with a view to elucidating larger principles. Herein, the cases are famous episodes of negotiation in Kissinger’s White House career, such as the talks to end the Vietnam War or white minority rule in what is now Zimbabwe. The authors return to these cases repeatedly to illustrate various aspects of Kissinger’s negotiating style, which are then linked to general principles of negotiation. Examples include enlarging the scope of the deal to change the deal/no-deal balance (i.e., what a counterparty would gain or lose from not striking a deal) and the pros and cons of secrecy and back channel talks.
One commendable aspect of the authors’ approach is that they do not shrink from politely pointing out the downsides and limitations of many of Kissinger’s signature negotiating strategies. Likewise, we often learn more from failure than from success. The authors do not shrink from discussing what many would regard as the low-lights of Kissinger’s negotiating career, lending the book more credibility and sharpening its lessons for readers.
I should also point out that this book is not and does not purport to be a detailed history of the negotiations it covers or a textbook on negotiations. Readers who already know a bit about the relevant history, diplomacy, or negotiations and are open to seeing these topics insightfully covered from a fresh angle will get the most out of the book.
This book will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about negotiations, high level diplomacy, or Kissinger himself. The book follows the structure of business school case teaching, wherein students read about a real life situation and then are led by an instructor through a structured discussion with a view to elucidating larger principles. Herein, the cases are famous episodes of negotiation in Kissinger’s White House career, such as the talks to end the Vietnam War or white minority rule in what is now Zimbabwe. The authors return to these cases repeatedly to illustrate various aspects of Kissinger’s negotiating style, which are then linked to general principles of negotiation. Examples include enlarging the scope of the deal to change the deal/no-deal balance (i.e., what a counterparty would gain or lose from not striking a deal) and the pros and cons of secrecy and back channel talks.
One commendable aspect of the authors’ approach is that they do not shrink from politely pointing out the downsides and limitations of many of Kissinger’s signature negotiating strategies. Likewise, we often learn more from failure than from success. The authors do not shrink from discussing what many would regard as the low-lights of Kissinger’s negotiating career, lending the book more credibility and sharpening its lessons for readers.
I should also point out that this book is not and does not purport to be a detailed history of the negotiations it covers or a textbook on negotiations. Readers who already know a bit about the relevant history, diplomacy, or negotiations and are open to seeing these topics insightfully covered from a fresh angle will get the most out of the book.
June 3, 2021
Read the section on Southern Africa, the last chapter and then an actual book by Kissinger.
December 17, 2021
Henry Alfred Kissinger is one of esteemed figure synonymous to diplomacy who is celebrated in a higher degree after Machiavelli in American world. Three scholars James K. Sebenius, R. Nicholas Burns and Robert H. Mnookin from Harvard University have thoroughly examined the negotiations skills and techniques that Kissinger has used in his career over several years. The book starts with a foreword by Kissinger himself who has admired the book and efforts made by the authors.
The book is basically divided into three chapters which further is divided in 13 sub-chapters:
1. How Kissinger negotiates: the forgotten part of South Africa
2. Zooming out
3. Zooming in
Despite being one of the influential negotiators in American history the authors have felt that Kissinger has not been dwelled enough from his strategic point of view. The gap in understanding Kissinger from holistic point of view has been tried by the authors through a pattern study of the negotiations he has made scrutinizing it systematically. In the same fashion, writers have gone through numerous books of Kissinger and also have interviewed him in person in pursuit of making this book written to better understand Kissinger’s negotiation skills. Writers have tried to trace Kissinger’s important negotiations involving China, Vietnam, USSR and the like where he has provided advices as a national security advisor and also, they have tried to understand values and norms of Kissinger’s negotiation skills and pass those for the purpose of references for the aspiring diplomats in diverse fields. Not to forget this book is not about the judgement about whether Kissinger’s past works are ethical or not rather to study his skills in diplomacy which has made him a tallest figure in the world as a diplomat. The book most of the time touches upon the Kissinger’s success story however authors also have given instances of his failed efforts (An attempt made to halt Pakistan’s nuclear weapons mission, to close the “Jordanian Deal” after Egyptian and
Syrian disengagement agreements with Israel) which in itself is a holistic view of Kissinger’s negotiations journey in his career............................................................. A must read
The book is basically divided into three chapters which further is divided in 13 sub-chapters:
1. How Kissinger negotiates: the forgotten part of South Africa
2. Zooming out
3. Zooming in
Despite being one of the influential negotiators in American history the authors have felt that Kissinger has not been dwelled enough from his strategic point of view. The gap in understanding Kissinger from holistic point of view has been tried by the authors through a pattern study of the negotiations he has made scrutinizing it systematically. In the same fashion, writers have gone through numerous books of Kissinger and also have interviewed him in person in pursuit of making this book written to better understand Kissinger’s negotiation skills. Writers have tried to trace Kissinger’s important negotiations involving China, Vietnam, USSR and the like where he has provided advices as a national security advisor and also, they have tried to understand values and norms of Kissinger’s negotiation skills and pass those for the purpose of references for the aspiring diplomats in diverse fields. Not to forget this book is not about the judgement about whether Kissinger’s past works are ethical or not rather to study his skills in diplomacy which has made him a tallest figure in the world as a diplomat. The book most of the time touches upon the Kissinger’s success story however authors also have given instances of his failed efforts (An attempt made to halt Pakistan’s nuclear weapons mission, to close the “Jordanian Deal” after Egyptian and
Syrian disengagement agreements with Israel) which in itself is a holistic view of Kissinger’s negotiations journey in his career............................................................. A must read
August 6, 2023
Kissing the Negotiator would be a very useful book to read if you find yourself participating in multilateral international diplomatic negotiations. I have trouble seeing how it would be useful to anyone else. The book is based entirely on the negotiations of Henry Kissinger as US Secretary of State. But it's not a history of those negotiations; it's an analysis of the negotiating techniques and practices that Kissinger used. These lessons seem uniquely applicable to international diplomacy, though, as I had difficulty envisioning how many of them would be employed in business or other negotiations where the negotiation points primarily relate to money or favorable contractual, legal or business terms rather than to the interactions of nation states.
September 2, 2019
Very academic. Interesting read, with a good recap of lessons. However, not a book that will really stick with me long-term. It did make me want to read a longer biography of Kissinger - I may look at Isaacson’s book next.
August 11, 2018
An incredibly easy read—especially considering I rarely venture into international politics—but fairly repetitive. The insights, while valuable, could be captured in the length of an article.
I'd recap learnings into 7 lessons (instead of the 15 the authors offer):
1. Think of negotiation as something that happens both at and away from the table.
2. This has implications for what to do to prepare for the moments at the table, to tilt the balance in favor of a deal happening rather than no deal being the more beneficial outcome for one or more parties.
3. One dimension to consider is latitude: what other parties could be brought in indirectly to the primary negotiation, to put pressure on the primary counterpart? How could a negotiation campaign be set up to cause a chain of agreements ending with the one you ultimately seek?
4. Don't forget internal stakeholders on either side, who could help or thwart the primary negotiation.
5. Another dimension to consider is longitude: what are the consequences to your credibility over the long term for the actions you contemplate? Once you damage your credibility it's hard to negotiate.
6. Interpersonally, strive for deep empathy of your counterpart's circumstances—political, historical, cultural—but don't confuse empathy with niceness. Assertiveness combined with empathy is a winning combination.
7. "Creative ambiguity" has a place in transparent negotiations. Multiple interpretations allows parties to come together who would otherwise lose face in such a process.
I'd recap learnings into 7 lessons (instead of the 15 the authors offer):
1. Think of negotiation as something that happens both at and away from the table.
2. This has implications for what to do to prepare for the moments at the table, to tilt the balance in favor of a deal happening rather than no deal being the more beneficial outcome for one or more parties.
3. One dimension to consider is latitude: what other parties could be brought in indirectly to the primary negotiation, to put pressure on the primary counterpart? How could a negotiation campaign be set up to cause a chain of agreements ending with the one you ultimately seek?
4. Don't forget internal stakeholders on either side, who could help or thwart the primary negotiation.
5. Another dimension to consider is longitude: what are the consequences to your credibility over the long term for the actions you contemplate? Once you damage your credibility it's hard to negotiate.
6. Interpersonally, strive for deep empathy of your counterpart's circumstances—political, historical, cultural—but don't confuse empathy with niceness. Assertiveness combined with empathy is a winning combination.
7. "Creative ambiguity" has a place in transparent negotiations. Multiple interpretations allows parties to come together who would otherwise lose face in such a process.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2025
Key Lessons from Kissinger the Negotiator:
• Align Strategy and Tactics: Zoom out to your overarching strategy and zoom in to understand your counterpart, ensuring both remain aligned.
• Challenge Assumptions: Continuously evaluate and reassess your fundamental premises.
• Master the Subject Matter: Develop deep familiarity with the topic of negotiation to strengthen your position.
• Take the Long View: Consider how the current negotiation fits into your broader, long-term goals.
• Adopt a Wide-Angle Lens: Assess whether the negotiation would benefit from greater contextual awareness or broader framing.
• Be Realistic: Track the deal/no-deal balance and consider how a “yes” might look to the other party.
• Seek Game-Changing Moves: Avoid seeing negotiation elements as fixed; identify actions that could shift the balance in your favor.
• Employ Multi-Front Strategies: Explore multi-front negotiation campaigns, paying particular attention to support from your “home front.”
• Master Coalition Dynamics: Develop insight and dexterity in managing multi-party coalitions, sequencing, and shared information.
• Think Strategically, Act Opportunistically: Balance long-term strategy with seizing short-term opportunities.
• Understand and Demonstrate Empathy: Strive to fully grasp your counterpart’s perspective and show this understanding while asserting your own needs and interests.
• Rethink Traditional Approaches: Consider alternatives to the “start high, concede slowly” strategy.
• Refine Communication: Hone the art of wordsmithing; constructive ambiguity can be helpful but risky, and tacit bargaining may also serve as a tool.
• Handle Secrecy with Care: Recognize the double-edged nature of secrecy—it can be critical but also perilous.
• Be Relentlessly Persistent: Perseverance often distinguishes successful negotiations from failed ones.
• Align Strategy and Tactics: Zoom out to your overarching strategy and zoom in to understand your counterpart, ensuring both remain aligned.
• Challenge Assumptions: Continuously evaluate and reassess your fundamental premises.
• Master the Subject Matter: Develop deep familiarity with the topic of negotiation to strengthen your position.
• Take the Long View: Consider how the current negotiation fits into your broader, long-term goals.
• Adopt a Wide-Angle Lens: Assess whether the negotiation would benefit from greater contextual awareness or broader framing.
• Be Realistic: Track the deal/no-deal balance and consider how a “yes” might look to the other party.
• Seek Game-Changing Moves: Avoid seeing negotiation elements as fixed; identify actions that could shift the balance in your favor.
• Employ Multi-Front Strategies: Explore multi-front negotiation campaigns, paying particular attention to support from your “home front.”
• Master Coalition Dynamics: Develop insight and dexterity in managing multi-party coalitions, sequencing, and shared information.
• Think Strategically, Act Opportunistically: Balance long-term strategy with seizing short-term opportunities.
• Understand and Demonstrate Empathy: Strive to fully grasp your counterpart’s perspective and show this understanding while asserting your own needs and interests.
• Rethink Traditional Approaches: Consider alternatives to the “start high, concede slowly” strategy.
• Refine Communication: Hone the art of wordsmithing; constructive ambiguity can be helpful but risky, and tacit bargaining may also serve as a tool.
• Handle Secrecy with Care: Recognize the double-edged nature of secrecy—it can be critical but also perilous.
• Be Relentlessly Persistent: Perseverance often distinguishes successful negotiations from failed ones.
June 20, 2018
This is one of the best books I have read this year - so good that I'm buying this book in spite of a shortage of shelf space in a NYC apartment. Right off the bat the start of the book bodes well with the foreword directly written by Kissinger himself, who endorses this book for covering a topic that is new and unique compared to other works on him that are already out there. But most importantly - this book RESONATES. I've taken negotiation classes, read many other negotiation books, and up to now everything revolves around tactics on how to "get to yes" at the table. This book, and Kissinger's approach, is about how it's more than just what happens at the table that shapes the full, bigger picture of the negotiation. It's such a much more comprehensive look, and so much more in tune with what happens in real life. A great read for anyone who needs to negotiate about anything or thinks they aren't good at negotiating
September 5, 2018
Political leaders, diplomats, and business executives around the world—including every President from John F. Kennedy to Donald J. Trump—have sought the counsel of Henry Kissinger, a brilliant diplomat and political scientist whose unprecedented achievements as a negotiator have been universally acknowledged. Now, Kissinger the Negotiator provides a groundbreaking analysis of Kissinger’s overall approach to making deals and his skill in resolving conflicts—expertise that holds powerful and enduring lessons.
October 16, 2021
Kissinger was a long term strategist and ensured he stayed in the game by curating his credibility throughout the years at the expense of many issues.
This book is about reading how Kissinger cultivated his negotiation abilities through a series of tactical moves and one’s personal qualities that are required to handle wicked problems through a sequence of moves that were not always wins, but compromises or even regressions. This book does a great job resuming Kissinger years. The book is not a trial on Kissinger, and it really focus on the art of négociations.
This book is about reading how Kissinger cultivated his negotiation abilities through a series of tactical moves and one’s personal qualities that are required to handle wicked problems through a sequence of moves that were not always wins, but compromises or even regressions. This book does a great job resuming Kissinger years. The book is not a trial on Kissinger, and it really focus on the art of négociations.
November 16, 2019
Interesting book but more from a historical and US foreign policy view rather than a practical book to improve negotiation skills. Some negotiation tactics are mentioned out across the book and have a special focus on the last chapters, but it mainly comprises of the US strategic approach to world politics.
The authors also have a somewhat biased view, putting the US and especially Kissinger on a pedestal. An opinion certainly not shared by people on the other side of the hemisphere.
The authors also have a somewhat biased view, putting the US and especially Kissinger on a pedestal. An opinion certainly not shared by people on the other side of the hemisphere.
November 28, 2021
I know some people have criticized the rather adoring and laudatory tone the authors have towards Kissinger, which I think is fair. For me though, I just read this book as a way to learn more about the foreign affairs of that era and for that I think it was extremely useful. It has an overview of several of Kissinger's biggest foreign affairs negotiations and the detailed descriptions made it easier for me to remember who was who. Learning about negotiation strategies was just a bonus for me.
January 15, 2026
So the strategy is to look at the bigger picture. Did not blow my mind. It definitely takes a certain type of personality and perseverance to negotiate with a hostile government. It's worth noting that these negotiations are about playing the long game without breaks. I do not aspire to Kissinger's level of persistence because the negotiations I participate in are seriously low stakes in comparison, but if I ever need to solve an armed conflict, I will revisit this book.
October 4, 2021
A unique book for me. I found the process of negotiating the Kissinger way both fascinating and interesting. Some of the text was repetitive but overall it was a worthwhile read and I would recommend it.
September 28, 2022
I was expecting more insights
The book is well synthesised but too repetitive. Great lessons from Kissinger and reflections from the authors but some items are overly repeated and unnecessarily emphasised.
The book is well synthesised but too repetitive. Great lessons from Kissinger and reflections from the authors but some items are overly repeated and unnecessarily emphasised.
October 28, 2018
This is an excellent book - far more accessible than I initially thought. It has good, practical takeaways for anyone interested in dealmaking.
November 6, 2018
Jump to the recap of the 15 lessons at the end of the book for a good summary if all of the case studies get to be too much. That’s what I did about 2/3 through the book.
November 24, 2018
The man behind the scenes!!!!!!!!!
January 6, 2019
Really interesting analysis of a negotiator who did his work on a global scale. Loved the specific breakdowns of how he did it, and the takeaways derived.
January 12, 2019
One of the best business books I've read in a while
December 18, 2019
Interesting strategy review of HK’s time in government. Doesn’t really provide the insight one may hope for to take his strategies across other fields.
August 10, 2020
Great framework. Expansive in coverage. Learn a few new things. Got a quick Cold War geo-political lesson too.
December 29, 2022
Overall, a great book with insight of kissingers negotiation tactics. A bit choppy with the historical examples, but it is intended to be an analysis of negotiation not of events themselves.
February 13, 2023
A birds eye view of Kissingers negotiating tactics and strategy. Makes me want to learn more about Kissinger.
March 27, 2025
would have been good as a history book, ruined by business school professors trying to "draw lessons" from it. Best on his attempt to end white rule over Rhodesia.
October 2, 2025
Had to read this for class. It’s fine. More of a history book than a negotiation book but learned some interesting strategies on negotiating
May 10, 2021
Really insightful and tacit is what I think about this book.......a 360 degree perspective into Kissinger the man and also not just key learnings from his successes but also valuable lessons from his failures......the book is unarguably well written and easy to understand for those who want to know of negotiation from a legend of this field.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews