Home › Books › The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and…
The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World
by
48/99
Critics' Rating Index
56/99
Readers' Rating Index
81/99
Scholars' Citation Index
84/99
Volume of Reviews
35/99
Volume of Reader Ratings
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
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
"But he mentions many of the most substantial charges only very briefly on his way to rebutting or mitigating them ..."
"Gewen sorts out history's ambiguities; yet, in the multitude of details he never loses direction or purpose, and his achievement stands as both diplomatic and intellectual history at its best."
"Masterly work on the making of Henry Kissinger—and what American foreign policy can learn from his dark experience and pessimistic outlook ..."
"Gewen presents a vivid, insightful, but unsparing portrait of Kissinger's intellectual development and boundless ambition as he journeyed from Nazi Germany, to the U.S."
"...[a] trenchant debut ..."
"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."
"Barry Gewen tackles the contradictions, and offers absolution in...a timely and acute defense of the great realist's actions, values and beliefs ..."
"A solid companion to Thomas Schwartz's Henry Kissinger and American Power."
Preview
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!