The Inevitability of Tragedy

Henry Kissinger and His World

By: Barry Gewen

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

A new portrait of Henry Kissinger focusing on the fundamental ideas underlying his policies: Realism, balance of power, and national interest.

Few public officials have provoked such intense controversy as Henry Kissinger. During his time in the Nixon and Ford administrations, he came to be admired and hated in equal measure. Notoriously, he believed that foreign affairs ought to be based primarily on the power relationships of a situation, not simply on ethics.

He went so far as to argue that under certain circumstances America had to protect its national interests even if that meant repressing other countries' attempts at democracy. For this reason, many today on both the right and left dismiss him as a latter-day Machiavelli, ignoring the breadth and complexity of his thought.

With The Inevitability of Tragedy, Barry Gewen corrects this shallow view, presenting the fascinating story of Kissinger's development as both a strategist and an intellectual and examining his unique role in government through his ideas. It analyzes his contentious policies in Vietnam and Chile, guided by a fresh understanding of his definition of Realism, the belief that world politics is based on an inevitable, tragic competition for power.

©2020 Barry Gewen (P)2020 Kalorama

Superb analysis

One of the best written books I’ve read in the past decade. Anyone who is curious about Henry Kissinger and what he accomplished will find great satisfaction in reading this book.

Elegant and eloquent

prose are very eminently written in an manner that excellent. It fuses philosophically substance with political lucidity .

Well Groomed

This book is extraordinarily well positioned in that each subtopic to the overall premise is introduced in a succinct order that provides the reader/listener with a knowledgeable foundation before understanding the processes employed in practice to the philosophical influences and abstracts utilized. This unique analysis assists in understanding what came to comprise the attitudes, and various personas that dominate US Foreign Policy decision making.

difficult and tedious

Difficult and tedious, I often thought it should have been titled "The Tragedy of Inevitability." Following is link to my podcast on Henry Kissinger, conflicted Jew, former Secretary of State and National Security advisor. Was he an agent for good or an evil war criminal? The greatest Secretary of State of our time? Only time will tell but I offer a number of different perspectives on the subject of Super K. http://bit.ly/3jlf76x

Interesting but rambles

Not sure why a complete chapter on Arend and Strauss was needed. Various sections rambled on although well written.