Kissinger's Shadow
The Long Reach of America's Most Controversial Statesman
Henry Holt and Co. · Print & ebook · August 25, 2015
A new account of America's most controversial diplomat that moves beyond praise or condemnation to reveal Kissinger as the architect of America's current imperial stance In his fascinating new bookKissinger's Shadow, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin argues that to understand the crisis of contemporary America—its never-ending wars abroad and political polarization at home—we have to understand Henry Kissinger.
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- Who it’s for
- A sharp-angle look at Kissinger’s reach, with diplomacy and world politics kept in view.
- Genres
- Political Lives, Diplomacy, Presidents & World Leaders
- Published
- Henry Holt and Co., August 25, 2015
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A new account of America's most controversial diplomat that moves beyond praise or condemnation to reveal Kissinger as the architect of America's current imperial stance In his fascinating new bookKissinger's Shadow, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin argues that to understand the crisis of contemporary America—its never-ending wars abroad and political polarization at home—we have to understand Henry Kissinger.
Continue reading
Examining Kissinger's own writings, as well as a wealth of newly declassified documents, Grandin reveals how Richard Nixon's top foreign policy advisor, even as he was presiding over defeat in Vietnam and a disastrous, secret, and illegal war in Cambodia, was helping to revive a militarized version of American exceptionalism centered on an imperial presidency. Believing that reality could be bent to his will, insisting that intuition is more important in determining policy than hard facts, and vowing that past mistakes should never hinder future bold action, Kissinger anticipated, even enabled, the ascendance of the neoconservative idealists who took America into crippling wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Going beyond accounts focusing either on Kissinger's crimes or accomplishments, Grandin offers a compelling new interpretation of the diplomat's continuing influence on how the United States views its role in the world.
Power in Profile
A sharp-angle look at Kissinger’s reach, with diplomacy and world politics kept in view.
Come here for
- Kissinger as a prism on American power
- A rigorous, politics-forward read
Expect
- Biographical history with geopolitical sweep
- A serious, unsentimental tone
Where it sits
| Diplomacy | 56% |
|---|---|
| Political Lives | 54% |
| Presidents & World Leaders | 24% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Political Lives
- Authors
- Greg Grandin
- Publisher
- Henry Holt and Co.
- Published
- August 25, 2015
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Political Lives