Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography
Over the past six decades, Henry Kissinger has been America鈥檚 most consistently praised鈥攁nd reviled鈥攑ublic figure. He was hailed as a 鈥渕iracle worker鈥 for his peacemaking in the Middle East, pursuit of d茅tente with the Soviet Union, negotiation of an end to the Vietnam War, and secret plan to open the United States to China. He was assailed from the left and from the right for his indifference to human rights, complicity in the pointless sacrifice of American and Vietnamese lives, and reliance on deception and intrigue. Was he a brilliant master strategist鈥斺渢he 20th century鈥檚 greatest 19th century statesman鈥濃攐r a cold-blooded monster who eroded America鈥檚 moral standing for the sake of self-promotion?
In this masterfully researched biography, the renowned diplomatic historian Thomas Schwartz offers an authoritative, and fair-minded, answer to this question. While other biographers have engaged in hagiography or demonology, Schwartz takes a measured view of his subject. He recognizes Kissinger鈥檚 successes and acknowledges that Kissinger thought seriously and with great insight about the foreign policy issues of his time, while also recognizing his failures, his penchant for backbiting, and his reliance on ingratiating and fawning praise of the president as a source of power. Throughout, Schwartz stresses Kissinger鈥檚 artful invention of himself as a celebrity diplomat and his domination of the medium of television news. He also notes Kissinger鈥檚 sensitivity to domestic and partisan politics, complicating鈥攁nd undermining鈥攖he image of the far-seeing statesman who stands above the squabbles of popular strife.
Rounded and textured, and rich with new insights into key dilemmas of American power,聽Henry Kissinger and American Power聽stands as an essential guide to a man whose legacy is as complex as the last sixty years of US history itself.
About the Author
Thomas Schwartz
Distinguished Professor of History and Professor of Political Science and European Studies, Vanderbilt University
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