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The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World
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About This Book
The Inevitability of Tragedy is a fascinating intellectual biography of Henry Kissinger that examines his unique role in government through his ideas. It analyzes the continuing controversies surrounding Kissinger's policies in such places as Vietnam and Chile by offering an understanding of his definition of realism; his seemingly amoral belief that foreign affairs must be conducted through a balance of power; and his "un-American" view that promoting democracy is most likely to result in repeated defeats for the United States. Barry Gewen places Kissinger's ideas in a European context by tracing them through his experience as a refugee from Nazi Germany and exploring the links between his notions of power and those of his mentor, Hans Morgenthau, the father of realism, as well as those of two other German-Jewish émigrés who shared his concerns about the weaknesses of democracy: Leo Strauss and Hannah Arendt.
Reviews
"Gewen's book is a thoughtful rumination on human behavior, philosophy and international relations, not a womb-to-tomb biography ..."
"...Gewen offers a biography focused on the major historical and philosophical influences on Kissinger's approach to diplomacy ..."
"What Gewen doesn't say is that some high policymakers have found...Kissinger's 'grim vantage point' perversely reassuring because it reinforces presumptions of their own dark omniscience, unappreciated by the rest of us."
"This beautifully written and engaging gem is an exciting, exhilarating must-read for anyone interested in international relations, American foreign policy or the ideas of Kissinger, whether you agree with him or not."
"A solid companion to Thomas Schwartz's Henry Kissinger and American Power."
"Army, to academia, to the inner circles of power in Washington."
"Still, this is a rich, nuanced, thought-provoking reconsideration of Kissinger's worldview and its impact on history."
"Gewen has used the distance from events to refine his research into an elegant, elucidating study of comparative statecraft."
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