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The Inevitability of Tragedy

Henry Kissinger and His World

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The Inevitability of Tragedy

By: Barry Gewen
Narrated by: Paul Woodson
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A new portrait of Henry Kissinger focusing on the fundamental ideas underlying his policies: Realism, balance of power, and national interest.

Few public officials have provoked such intense controversy as Henry Kissinger. During his time in the Nixon and Ford administrations, he came to be admired and hated in equal measure. Notoriously, he believed that foreign affairs ought to be based primarily on the power relationships of a situation, not simply on ethics.

He went so far as to argue that under certain circumstances America had to protect its national interests even if that meant repressing other countries' attempts at democracy. For this reason, many today on both the right and left dismiss him as a latter-day Machiavelli, ignoring the breadth and complexity of his thought.

With The Inevitability of Tragedy, Barry Gewen corrects this shallow view, presenting the fascinating story of Kissinger's development as both a strategist and an intellectual and examining his unique role in government through his ideas. It analyzes his contentious policies in Vietnam and Chile, guided by a fresh understanding of his definition of Realism, the belief that world politics is based on an inevitable, tragic competition for power.

©2020 Barry Gewen (P)2020 Kalorama 20th Century Americas Modern Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government Presidents & Heads of State United States Socialism Soviet Union Imperialism Vietnam War Self-Determination Russia American Foreign Policy Capitalism Iran Latin American Refugee War Imperial Japan
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As other reviewers have said, this is neither a biography, nor a detailed consideration of Kissinger's practice and impact as statesman, but a series of linked essays, of which just two focus on distinct foreign policy challenges - on Chile and Vietnam. In these, Gewen makes a defence of Kissinger which I personally found unconvincing, even on realist grounds. The Middle East, Bangladesh, even China, are mentioned only in passing now and then.

It's not bad, and the performance is good, but given the length in retrospect I'd rather read a biographical or historical account, and use that to make my mind up, rather than approach through the lens of Gewen's argument.

Fragmented

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A superb intellectual biography of Kissinger, his ideas presented in the context of his time.

A rich portrait of a brilliant mind

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