Kissinger: A Biography

Last updated

Kissinger: A Biography
Kissinger (Walter Isaacson book).jpg
First edition hardcover image
Author Walter Isaacson
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Henry Kissinger
Published1992
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Pages893

Kissinger: A Biography is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Published by Simon & Schuster in 1992, the biographical analysis of prominent public official Henry Kissinger has received positive reviews from publications such as Foreign Affairs and The New York Times . [1] [2]

Contents

Background and contents

The author had previously served as a journalist with Time and become one of that magazine's editors as well as co-written, with Evan Thomas, the Cold War chronicle The Wise Men . [1]

Isaacson started out writing the book with considerable personal access not only to Kissinger himself but to multiple associates of the public figure. The author additionally used a wide variety of political documents from Kissinger's many years of public service. Despite this close association, Isaacson insisted on maintaining his independence over the final work. [1] One reviewer later noted that the book constituted the first "full-scale biography of the former secretary of state that examines not only his public life and policy but his origins and his activities since leaving office." [2]

In broad terms, the author states that Kissinger's promotion of particular foreign policies, including aggressive regime change efforts in different nations, contributed to a general victory for the Western bloc during the Cold War. However, Isaacson finds that Kissinger significantly moved away from previously held ethical ideals and severely compromised America's world standing as well, with said foreign efforts undermining the cause of democratic government and human rights. The author views Kissinger as having achieved the American dream and amassed considerable power at the expense of not just intellectual honesty but general personal character. [1]

Reception

Historian and journalist Theodore Draper of The New York Times wrote that for Kissinger "aficionados" the book "makes [for] compulsive reading" and that "for students of his years of influence on United States foreign policy" the book becomes "compulsory". Remarking upon Kissinger's willingness to assist Isaacson with research as well as the official's lack of insistence on controlling the final product, Draper commented, "Cooperating with Mr. Isaacson may come to seem one of his greatest miscalculations." [1] Writing for Foreign Affairs , journalist and public official William G. Hyland praised the book as well. Hyland stated that Isaacson possessed a style "with an engaging flair" while still having achieved "a balanced objectivity". [2]

Reporter Peter Jennings of ABC News commented that the book "[c]onfirms Kissinger's place as one of the great international players" yet "takes him down a peg as well". Jennings additionally stated that it "makes for compulsive reading." [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Kissinger</span> American politician and diplomat (1923–2023)

Henry Alfred Kissinger was an American diplomat, political scientist, geopolitical consultant, and politician who served as the United States secretary of state and national security advisor in the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1969 and 1977.

<i>Foreign Affairs</i> American academic journal

Foreign Affairs is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Founded on 15 September 1922, the print magazine is currently published every two months, while the website publishes articles daily and anthologies every other month.

Kissinger Associates, Inc. is a New York City-based international geopolitical consulting firm, founded and run by Henry Kissinger from 1982 until his death in November 2023. The firm assists its clients in identifying strategic partners and investment opportunities and advising them on government relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Scowcroft</span> US National Security Advisor (1925–2020)

Brent Scowcroft was a United States Air Force officer who was a two-time United States National Security Advisor, first under U.S. President Gerald Ford and then under George H. W. Bush. He served as Military Assistant to President Richard Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs in the Nixon and Ford administrations. He served as Chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005, and advised President Barack Obama on choosing his national security team.

Sir William Hartley Hume Shawcross is a British journalist, writer, and broadcaster. He is the incumbent Commissioner for Public Appointments. From 2012 to 2018 he chaired the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linkage (policy)</span> Cold War-era American policy

Linkage was a foreign policy that was pursued by the United States and championed by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger in the 1970s détente, during the Cold War. The policy aimed to persuade the Soviet Union to co-operate in restraining revolutions in the Third World in return for concessions in nuclear and economic fields. Soviet interventions occurred in various conflicts such as the Angolan Civil War, the Mozambican Civil War, and the Ogaden War, while many revolutions still occurred in Third World countries, undermining the policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Isaacson</span> American author, journalist and professor

Walter Seff Isaacson is an American author, journalist, and professor. He has been the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., the chair and CEO of CNN, and the editor of Time.

Theodore H. Draper was an American historian and political writer. Draper is best known for the 14 books he completed during his life, including work regarded as seminal on the formative period of the American Communist Party, the Cuban Revolution, and the Iran–Contra Affair. Draper was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the 1990 recipient of the Herbert Feis Award for Nonacademically Affiliated Historians from the American Historical Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Thomas</span> American journalist, historian, author, and lawyer

Evan Welling Thomas III is an American journalist, historian, and author. He is the author of 11 books, including two New York Times bestsellers.

Robert A. Dallek is an American historian specializing in the presidents of the United States, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. He retired as a history professor at Boston University in 2004 and previously taught at Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Oxford University. He won the Bancroft Prize for his 1979 book Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945 as well as other awards for scholarship and teaching.

<i>The Wise Men</i> (book) Book by Walter Isaacson

The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made is a non-fiction book authored by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas. Published by Simon & Schuster in 1986, it describes the actions of a group of U.S. federal government officials and members of the East Coast foreign policy establishment. Starting in the immediate post-World War II period, the group developed the containment policy of dealing with the Communist bloc during the Cold War. They also helped to craft institutions and initiatives such as NATO, the World Bank, and the Marshall Plan. An updated edition of the book was released in 2012.

This bibliography of Richard Nixon includes publications by Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, and books and scholarly articles about him and his policies.

Roger Paul Morris is an American historian, foreign policy analyst, and journalist. He served on the staff of the U.S. National Security Council under the presidencies of both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. As an author he has won fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Society of American Historians and the National Endowment for the Humanities. On two occasions he has won the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ National Award for Distinguished Investigative Journalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmut Sonnenfeldt</span> Counselor of the United States Department of State (1974 – 1977)

Helmut Sonnenfeldt, also known as Hal Sonnenfeldt, was an American foreign policy expert. He was known as Kissinger’s Kissinger for his philosophical affinity with and influence on Henry A. Kissinger, the architect of American foreign policy in the Nixon and Ford administrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melvyn P. Leffler</span> American historian and educator (born 1945)

Melvyn Paul Leffler is an American historian and educator, currently Edward Stettinius Professor of History at the University of Virginia. He is the winner of numerous awards, including the Bancroft Prize for his book A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration and the Cold War, and the American Historical Association’s George Louis Beer Prize for his book For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War.

William George Hyland was Deputy National Security Advisor to President of the United States Gerald Ford and editor of Foreign Affairs magazine.

<i>The Innovators</i> (book) 2014 book by Walter Isaacson

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution is an overview of the history of computer science and the Digital Revolution. It was written by Walter Isaacson, and published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster.

<i>Einstein: His Life and Universe</i> Book by Walter Isaacson

Einstein: His Life and Universe is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. The biographical analysis of Albert Einstein's life and legacy was published by Simon & Schuster in 2007, and it has received a generally positive critical reception from multiple fronts, praise appearing from an official Amazon.com review as well as in publications such as The Guardian and Physics Today.

<i>Benjamin Franklin: An American Life</i> 2003 biography of Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster, the biographical work details the life and times of prominent U.S. statesman and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. The book has received praise from multiple publications including Foreign Affairs and The Guardian.

<i>The Code Breaker</i> 2021 book by Walter Isaacson

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Published in March 2021 by Simon & Schuster, it is a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the CRISPR system of gene editing.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Draper, Theodore (September 6, 1992). "Little Heinz And Big Henry". The New York Times . Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Hyland, William G. (Fall 1992). "Kissinger: A Biography". Foreign Affairs . 71 (4): 197. doi:10.2307/20045321. JSTOR   20045321 . Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  3. Isaacson, Walter (September 27, 2005). Kissinger - Book by Walter Isaacson - Official Publisher Page. SimonAndSchuster.com. ISBN   9780743286978 . Retrieved April 12, 2020.