Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography Hardcover – August 25, 2020

Through crisp and deeply engaging prose, Tom Schwartz was written an engrossing and even-handed biography of Henry Kissinger that explores American Foreign Policy between the end of World War II and the end of the Ford Administration. While always central, Schwartz uses Kissinger — still one of the most fascinating characters in American political life in the last century — to show how domestic political considerations were often driving foreign policy in the Nixon White House. Kissinger — deeply flawed as he was — comes alive as a character, not just as the two-dimensional villain or diplomatic savant as he was portrayed, but as a complicated man who is worth exploring. Kissinger, the National Security Advisor, and later Secretary of State, is a case study in the exercise of power and how American policy decisions are often driven by individual personalities than anyone wants to believe. Schwartz’s analysis persuasively re-examines Kissinger’s tenure at the center of American Foreign Policy and shows just how consequential he was, not only for his critical miscalculations that elongated the Vietnam War, but also his boldness to see the opportunity to “open” China, as well as forge real diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East. Kissinger has a lot to answer for, and Schwartz adeptly probes all those questions in a clear and incisive way, while also giving him his due. This is an excellent read that is worth the time and attention of anyone who cares about American history in the 20th Century and how the decisions made then continue to shape our world today.

Thomas Schwartz has written a brilliant study of Henry Kissinger's engagement with American foreign policy and political life. His work is filled with insight regarding both the making of foreign policy and the complex relationships of those men -- in particular Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon -- who made it. Schwartz has an excellent grasp of how the clash and blend of motives, personalities, and abilities combine in the policymaking process. This book persuasively clarifies that Kissinger was as much a "tactician" as he was a "strategist" and Schwartz demonstrates Kissinger's brilliance (for the most part!) at playing both the diplomacy as well as the domestic political games. His portrayal of the Kissinger-Nixon relationship is both revealing and nuanced. He reveals how each man pursued his personal ambition and engaged in both competition and cooperation as they pursued their foreign policy objectives. This is a book that anyone who wants to understand the messy formulation of foreign policy in a democracy should read. Schwartz's sure hand guides one to a richer appreciation of how foreign policy and domestic politics intersect and it casts much-needed light on how the media is used in that process. It is also written with real verve and is accessible to general readers who want to understand one of the most extraordinary figures in the making of American foreign policy in the 20th century.

It has always been a gripe of mine that the recent past is often glossed over in American history courses. That is why I highly recommend this book to anyone hoping to learn more about American foreign policy after World War II and, more specifically, a man whose importance to this time period cannot be overstated. The work is pensive and well structured, fair and well supported in its criticisms and praises, and most importantly for me, it paints a complete picture of a man, one whose true motivations and intentions are too often obscured, and thus misunderstood or misrepresented, by his legendary or notorious status in the American mind.I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of Kissinger as a character, a thought which in retrospect seems silly, but which feels emblematic of just how difficult it is to write about a man with a reputation which precedes him so forcefully. Dr. Schwartz does a wonderful job capturing the reader’s attention and picking through the weeds of hyperbole and misplaced hindsight that cloud discussions of Kissinger and the Cold War. I especially liked the discussion of the links between foreign and domestic politics, something Kissinger himself was always quick to disregard, but which Dr. Schwartz is careful to point out as it becomes relevant in the story.Dr. Schwartz’s examination of the Nixon and Ford administration is some of the most engaging writing of the book, as it follows Kissinger at the height of his power and reputation in American and international politics. The sheer volume of writing produced about Kissinger (and by Kissinger for that matter) makes clean organization and synthesis a daunting task for anyone, but I loved the way the book artfully threaded evidence from so many different angles and sources; Schwartz often pauses the narrative to examine motivation, and he gives good reason to dismiss more extreme or far-fetched claims while additionally exploring what ways mainstream opinions can be improved and adapted. In addition, I loved the (sometimes quite funny) anecdotes and longer stories of Kissinger’s various trips, meetings, and interactions, which provided helpful insight into Kissinger on a more personal level, as well as simply adding a degree of entertainment; the more I read, the more I realized how little I knew about the Kissinger, and the more I realized how much there was. I found myself on wildly opinionated swings throughout reading, feeling everything from shame, contempt, or anger toward Kissinger, and then turning the page to find sympathy or admiration. It is in this way that the book forces its reader to appreciate the full picture, not of a mythology, but of a man. His centrality to politics in the second half of the 20th century thus position this book perfectly in understanding this era’s decision making at a more personal level. In sum, I learned quite a lot and enjoyed the book thoroughly, and recommend it to anyone hoping to know more about America. It is, as much as any historian could hope to produce, an excellent window into the past.