Diplomacy

By: Henry Kissinger

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

A brilliant, sweeping history of diplomacy that includes personal stories from the noted former Secretary of State, including his stunning reopening of relations with China.

The seminal work on foreign policy and the art of diplomacy...

Moving from a sweeping overview of history to blow-by-blow accounts of his negotiations with world leaders, Henry Kissinger describes how the art of diplomacy has created the world in which we live, and how America's approach to foreign affairs has always differed vastly from that of other nations.

Brilliant, controversial, and profoundly incisive, Diplomacy stands as the culmination of a lifetime of diplomatic service and scholarship. It is a must-listen for anyone concerned with the forces that have shaped our world today and will impact upon it tomorrow.

©1994 Henry A. Kissinger (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent. The standard.

If this isn’t the basic textbook for every diplomacy class in the world, it should be. This was much better than my diplomacy class at the University of Houston. I want my money back from them.

very smart man.

dense, but enjoyed it. if only we spent more time focusing on where we came from

A walk though diplomatic history with an expert

Mr. Kissinger walks the reader through centuries of history connecting events and perspectives along the way. His expert eye to key elements of diplomatic perspectives and pursuits allows insight into our current diplomatic challenges. The writing is superb. His voice and opinion is heard only infrequently, and only rarely self-congratulatory, but relevant when they are realized. He is non-partisan throughout this long, detailed book; often pointing out mistakes and miscalculations of his own as well as others. The book is written with continuous, rigorous attention to details in light of the current events of the time and the personalities involved. Totally worth the investment in time. Bravo, Mr. Kissinger.

Enjoyable

This book is a commitment, but worth it.
The narration was some of the best I've heard.

an elegant lesson on the history in politics

Loved it, A must read to have a perspective for the future. The contexts explained and frameworks used would be immensely valuable to generate future scenarios.

Great foreign policy overview!

I really liked the structure of the book, how the author presents the diplomatic concepts using historical overview.

A must-read for everyone interested in making sense of what’s going on in the world.

Almost excellent

Comprehensive and compelling history of European and US Diplomacy. Should be mandatory reading for any career foreign service officer or student of diplomacy/history. Two issues: first, the Cuban Missile Crisis, arguably the pinnacle of Cold War brinkmanship, is mentioned only glancingly, despite other less notable conflicts eg. the Suez Canal Crisis, getting fleshed out in minute, even overbearing detail. This is a glaring omission. Second, the entire section dealing with the Nixon administration, while illustrative and a refreshing change from most else written about this era, too often veers into full throated defense of Nixon’s policies, and by extension of Kissinger himself. This is understandable but too obvious, veering astray from Kissinger’s otherwise prescient and detached analysis.

Essential

We Americans are famous all over the three world for our failure to read or understand history. If we had a good grasp of historic events and leaders, Kissinger could have focused on the policies and strategic underpinnings of treaties and wars. He does not. I don't claim a better grasp of history than any other American who did not major in history. For me, it is a great history book. It is an even better book about WHY history is SO IMPORTANT. There is enough history to understand the people, cultures, and events that shaped key events which in turn define us as Nations, Peoples, Countries, and Allies. This alone would have made a great book but here it is only provided as a backdrop to understand the strategic, moral, and popular sentiments that move leaders to various treaties, alliances, and finally war.
Don't vote in another American Presidential Election without reading this book! Our survival, as well as our friends and Allies, may depend on it. I think you will be humbled by the historical grasp and the critical thinking.

History in high level education

Well done! Hope this book is part of our education curriculum system! Connecting many years of learning in one classroom.

Insightful

Long but it gives a political evolution to modern times a view to USA evolution.