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From:Walter Isaacson , Simon & Schuster ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#187233 |
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 excellent book, 2007-12-10
This is a real tour de force which left me with a complete sense of my own utter ignorance on the subject of foreign policy and recent American history. Who knew that the Russians had wanted to do a tactical strike on the Chinese before they developed nuclear weapons? That Nixon had not wanted a cease fire before his election against McGovern? That Time magazine had developed its Man of the Year as a way of putting Lindbergh on the cover after it had failed to do when he landed in France? Etc. Etc. Virtually every chapter had a revelation practically tossed off in a casual manner. Yet there is nothing casual in the author's approach which is amazingly even handed and well researched, as well as highly readable given the exceptional complexity of the issues involved. This is a terrific and remarkably accessible book. Highly recommended.
Brilliance does not guarantee a brilliant outcome, 2007-11-04
The author provides in this seemingly complete history of Kissinger numerous interesting insights into US Foreign Policy. The most interesting one, I thought, was that if Kissinger's realpolitik policy had prevailed we might have had a second Yalta and a repressively stable Soviet Union would be here still today. But Ronald Reagan "...who saw simple truths where Kissinger saw nuances..." came along and changed history for the better by attaching a greater importance to values than to stability and order that Kissinger prized so much.
Dr. Kissinger's pessimism and belief in realpolitik prevented him from seeing that there was such a thing as the "Evil Empire" let alone imagine defeating it.
 Fair and balanced, 2007-09-28
This is a well-written look at the career of one of America's most accomplished (though perenially controversial) diplomats. Mr. Isaacson studies his subject carefully, in numerous foreign policy crises around the globe. Moreover, he digs deeply into Dr. Kissinger's formative years to enable the reader to understand Kissinger's world-view, which is most decidedly non-American (consider Kissinger's deep admiration for such conservative European diplomats as Prince Klemens von Metternich and Otto von Bismarck). Mr. Isaacson is by no means a Kissinger partisan, but then again, he is not among the anti-Kissinger crowd either. What I found especially complex was Dr. Kissinger's relationship with President Nixon: the 2 men deeply distrusted each other, but they had a similar diplomatic vision, and were capable of coming up with bold initiatives.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
Henry Kissinger--A Fair Biography, 2007-05-21
Walter Isaacson, who has written esteemed biographies of Benjamin Franklin, The Wise Men, and Einstein, tackles the complex character of Henry Kissinger, academic, diplomat, and consultant. Kissinger is a difficult character to pin down, as Isaacson notes. He was devious, self-promoting, self-deprecating, intelligent, ambitious, and successful. The author interviewed over 150 people--including Kissinger himself--to gather information for this lengthy volume (767 pages of text).
At the outset, Isaacson says (page 9): "Three decades after he left office, Henry Kissinger continues to exert a fascinating hold on the public imagination as well as intellectual sway over the nation's foreign policy conversation." He was a well-known apostle of "Realpolitik," emphasizing doing what had to be done to advance the national interest, balancing power with power, concerned more with accomplishing things than getting caught up in ideology and morality. Again, a realist as opposed to an idealist. And this is the tension that is described throughout the course of this powerful volume (page 15): ". . .Kissinger had an instinctive feel. . .for power and for creating a new global balance that could help America cope with its withdrawal syndrome after Vietnam. But it was not matched by a similar feel for the strength to be derived from the openness of America's democratic system or for the moral values that are the true source of its global influence."
The book begins with a brief early biography of Kissinger, including the misery he experienced after the Nazis came to power and the departure of his immediate family from Germany when they came to understand how inhospitable that country was becoming for Jews. The book also notes that many of his relatives died during World War II, part of the Holocaust. There follows the tale of his adolescence, his military service, his graduate study, and his promising academic career.
But the major portion of this book focuses on his role as National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State under Richard Nixon's presidency and Secretary of State under Gerald Ford. There is a relatively brief discussion in several chapters of his life after Nixon-Ford, as consultant, commentator, intellectual-without-portfolio.
After having worked with Nelson Rockefeller as an advisor, it is somewhat surprising that he ended up serving one of Rocky's antagonists, Richard Nixon. The book traces the odd relationship between Nixon and Kissinger. Sometimes hard-edged and combative, sometimes oddly supportive of one another. The secretive Nixon and Kissinger as lone cowboy accomplished a great deal in foreign policy; however, their penchant for secrecy also created problems of its own. Kissinger could be viewed is devious (for telling different people things in such a way as for each to think that Kissinger was on his/her side), but he also earned the trust of many leaders as he invented "shuttle diplomacy." Leaders might become exasperated with his style and his deviousness, but he was effective in a number of key instances. Examples worth exploring and reflecting upon in the book include the negotiations with North Vietnam to extricate the United States from a quagmire of its own making; the effort to end the Yom Kippur War in a manner that would stabilize the Middle East; the opening to China; détente with the Soviet Union.
This is a biography that is worth investing time and energy into. It portrays Kissinger, warts and all, in a manner that illuminates this complicated individual. On some pages, one will think of railing against him; on other pages, one may well feel admiration for his strengths and accomplishments.
8 of 8 customers found the following review helpful:
Extraordinary Biography, 2007-01-15
This book has sat on my shelf unread for years - I think because I'm somewhat leery of "contemporary" biographies. Just another error in judgment on my part - this is an excellent book. (A back cover review describes it as "riveting" and that's not far off - I found it difficult to put this book down.) It's all here - the chronology - Kissinger's immediate family's escape from Nazi tyranny, Kissinger's time in the armed services, Harvard, Rockefeller - with the bulk of the book, (understandably so), covering Kissinger's life and times in the Nixon administration - including the bizarre relationship that only these two men could have had. As for concerns about objectivity, the author addresses this in his introduction - how can a reader not come to this book without preconceived notions/opinions on such controversial/polarizing topics as Watergate, the Vietnam War, détente, etc. - and I found the writing to be fair, (as well as extremely engaging), concerning "gossipy" issues - the subject's thin skin, temper tantrums, zeal for secrecy, back-biting, etc. - and "real-politik" issues - China, the USSR, the Paris Peace Talks - All deftly written combining anecdotes, news reports and analysis, and behind the scenes sources. Kissinger's place in history is up for time to tell - this biography's place is secure. If you're debating about reading this book - don't - pick it up and start it - you won't be disappointed.
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