Kissinger

Kissinger
Author: Niall Ferguson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 1042
Release: 2016-09-27
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0143109758

From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower, the definitive biography of Henry Kissinger, based on unprecedented access to his private papers. Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award No American statesman has been as revered or as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Once hailed as “Super K”—the “indispensable man” whose advice has been sought by every president from Kennedy to Obama—he has also been hounded by conspiracy theorists, scouring his every “telcon” for evidence of Machiavellian malfeasance. Yet as Niall Ferguson shows in this magisterial two-volume biography, drawing not only on Kissinger’s hitherto closed private papers but also on documents from more than a hundred archives around the world, the idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding. The first half of Kissinger’s life is usually skimmed over as a quintessential tale of American ascent: the Jewish refugee from Hitler’s Germany who made it to the White House. But in this first of two volumes, Ferguson shows that what Kissinger achieved before his appointment as Richard Nixon’s national security adviser was astonishing in its own right. Toiling as a teenager in a New York factory, he studied indefatigably at night. He was drafted into the U.S. infantry and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge—as well as the liberation of a concentration camp—but ended his army career interrogating Nazis. It was at Harvard that Kissinger found his vocation. Having immersed himself in the philosophy of Kant and the diplomacy of Metternich, he shot to celebrity by arguing for “limited nuclear war.” Nelson Rockefeller hired him. Kennedy called him to Camelot. Yet Kissinger’s rise was anything but irresistible. Dogged by press gaffes and disappointed by “Rocky,” Kissinger seemed stuck—until a trip to Vietnam changed everything. The Idealist is the story of one of the most important strategic thinkers America has ever produced. It is also a political Bildungsroman, explaining how “Dr. Strangelove” ended up as consigliere to a politician he had always abhorred. Like Ferguson’s classic two-volume history of the House of Rothschild, Kissinger sheds dazzling new light on an entire era. The essential account of an extraordinary life, it recasts the Cold War world.

The Diplomats, 1939–1979

The Diplomats, 1939–1979
Author: Gordon A. Craig
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 780
Release: 2019-01-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691194467

This volume offers a unique perspective on a turbulent and dangerous age by focusing on the activities and accomplishments of its diplomats. Its twenty-three interconnected essays discuss the politics of ambassadors, foreign ministers, and heads of state from Acheson and Adenauer to Sadat and Gromyko, as well as the special problems of the professionals in the foreign offices and the role of the media in modern diplomacy. Among its contributors are such distinguished international scholars as Akira Iriye, Michael Brecher, Stanley Hoffmann, W. W. Rostow, and Norman Stone. Expanding the field of inquiry covered by its acclaimed predecessor, The Diplomats, 1919–1939, which concentrated on Europe and the coming of the Second World War, these essays showcase the major diplomatic practitioners of the period against the broader background of the problems and crises that confronted them—among others, the Polish question at the end of World War II, the onset of the Cold War, the defeat of EDC in 1954, the Suez crisis, Kruschchev's Berlin note in 1958, the Middle East War of 1967 and the oil shock of 1973, the Iranian revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This account of the pendular swing from crisis and detente and back again is given a global perspective by careful treatment of the diplomacy of new nations like India, Communist China, and Israel, and the transformation of the Middle East and Japan. Among the new perspectives offered here are Geoffrey Warner's critical view of Ernest Bevin's attitude toward the United States, John Lewis Gaddis's judgment of Henry Kissinger's detente policy, W. W. Rostow's analysis of the diplomatic method of Paul Monnnet, Rena Fonseca's assessment of Nehru's policy of nonalignment, Shu Guang Zhang's fresh look at the relationship between Zhou Enlai and Mao, and Paul Gordon Lauren's critique of U.N. crisis management from Trygve Lie to Perez de Cuellar. Highly original also are Steven Miner's portrait of Molotov, Michael Brecher's pioneering study of the diplomacy of Abba Eben, and James McAdams's analysis of German Ostpolitik. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Charles de Gaulle's Legacy of Ideas

Charles de Gaulle's Legacy of Ideas
Author: Benjamin M. Rowland
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2011-08-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 0739164546

The essays in this volume examine selected national, regional European, and international policies of Charles de Gaulle, giving consideration to their significance in his own time, and today. Not everything de Gaulle did withstands the test of time. Nor, obviously, was everything beyond criticism in his own time. Nonetheless, a main finding, in the words of one essayist, is that de Gaulle had an 'uncanny sense of where history was going' and the skill to position his country accordingly. De Gaulle also stands as a testament to the power of individuals in history, a somewhat unfashionable viewpoint in modern university curriculums. Today, when France's destiny appears increasingly to depend on structures and institutions beyond its national control, including a Europe weakened by the sovereign debt crisis, and a global economic system accountable to no one, it seems timely to reconsider the record of the twentieth century's greatest Frenchman, whose skill at dealing with the problems of his time can inspire today's generation of politicians and statesmen.

De Gaulle and His France

De Gaulle and His France
Author: Jacques de Launay
Publisher:
Total Pages: 348
Release: 1968
Genre:
ISBN:

Disaster-prone Duck joins Owl and Fox on their fishing trip.

The Europe Illusion

The Europe Illusion
Author: Stuart Sweeney
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2019-04-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1789140935

In The Europe Illusion, Stuart Sweeney considers Britain’s relationships with France and Prussia-Germany since the map of Europe was redrawn at Westphalia in 1648. A timely and far-sighted study, it argues that integration in Europe has evolved through diplomatic, economic, and cultural links cemented among these three states. Indeed, as wars became more destructive and economic expectations were elevated these states struggled to survive alone. Yet it has been rare for all three to be friends at the same time. Instead, apparent setbacks like Brexit can be seen as reflective of a more pragmatic Europe, where integration proceeds within variable geometry.

Diplomacy

Diplomacy
Author: Henry Kissinger
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 846
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1471104494

'Kissinger's absorbing book tackles head-on some of the toughest questions of our time . . . Its pages sparkle with insight' Simon Schama in the NEW YORKER Spanning more than three centuries, from Cardinal Richelieu to the fragility of the 'New World Order', DIPLOMACY is the now-classic history of international relations by the former Secretary of State and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Kissinger's intimate portraits of world leaders, many from personal experience, provide the reader with a unique insight into what really goes on -- and why -- behind the closed doors of the corridors of power. 'Budding diplomats and politicians should read it as avidly as their predecessors read Machiavelli' Douglas Hurd in the DAILY TELEGRAPH 'If you want to pay someone a compliment, give them Henry Kissinger's DIPLOMACY ... It is certainly one of the best, and most enjoyable [books] on international relations past and present ... DIPLOMACY should be read for the sheer historical sweep, the characterisations, the story-telling, the ability to look at large parts of the world as a whole' Malcolm Rutherford in the FINANCIAL TIMES

Britain, France and the Battle for the Leadership of Europe, 1957-2007

Britain, France and the Battle for the Leadership of Europe, 1957-2007
Author: Richard Davis
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2023-08-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000922200

The book gives an account of an essential part of Britain’s troubled relationship with the rest of Europe after 1945 – particularly considering the rivalry of France and Britain between 1945 and 2007. The record of Britain’s relations with the rest of Europe, and in particular with France, from 1945 onwards was seen by the politicians and diplomats in charge of foreign policy very much in terms of a diplomatic battle. This is paradoxical given that European integration was supposedly aiming to create a European community. Although Britain has usually been seen as an at-best half-hearted participant in European integration, it nonetheless maintained its ambition to assume the leadership of Europe. This inevitably led to a confrontation with France which shared the same goal. This book begins by looking at the opposing ways in which these two ancient European rivals presented very different models for the sort of Europe they wished to see emerge. It goes on to consider the record of their rivalry between 1945 and 2007. After this, Britain effectively gave up the battle for the political leadership of Europe. This, however, should not obscure the fact that it had succeeded in imposing many of its social and economic models on Europe. This volume will be of interest to both undergraduate students and general readers interested in Britain’s position in Europe.

West Germany, Cold War Europe and the Algerian War

West Germany, Cold War Europe and the Algerian War
Author: Mathilde Von Bulow
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 483
Release: 2016-08-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107088593

Examining the clandestine and subversive activities of Algerian nationalists in West Germany and Europe, Mathilde Von Bulow sheds new light on the extent to which FLN activities and French counter-measures impacted the conflict in Algeria and the politics of the global Cold War.