The Inevitability of Tragedy is a fascinating intellectual biography that examines Henry Kissinger's role in American government through his ideas. It analyses the continuing controversies surrounding Kissinger's policies in such places as Vietnam and Chile by offering an understanding of his definition of realism; his belief that foreign affairs must be conducted through a balance of power; and his view that promoting democracy is likely to result in defeats for the United States.
Barry Gewen places Kissinger's ideas in a European context by tracing them through his experience as a refugee from Nazi Germany and exploring the links between his notions of power and those of his mentor, Hans Morgenthau, as well as those of two other German-Jewish emigres-Leo Strauss and Hannah Arendt-who shared his concerns about the weaknesses of democracy.
Barry Gewen, an editor at the New York Times Book Review for thirty years, has written on politics, international affairs, and culture for several publications, including the Times, the New Republic, Dissent, and the National Interest. He lives in New York City.
Title: The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World
Author: Barry Gewen
ISBN: 9781324004059
Binding:
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Publication Date: 2020-05-29
Number of Pages: 480
Weight: 0.8162 kg
Gewen's book... is distinctive in that it is, above all, an account of Kissinger's intellectual universe. -- Gideon Rachman - Financial Times
Gewen seeks to escape [a] cartoon depiction of Kissinger... He does so successfully with sympathy for his subject, subtlety, good writing and not a little humour... Gewen tells us that Kissinger is more than a figure out of history, and that we dismiss or ignore him at our peril... Where are the 21st-century's Henry Kissingers when we need them? -- Christopher Meyer - The Spectator
A timely new book on Henry Kissinger-The Inevitability of Tragedy by Barry Gewen-provides new insight into what might have gone wrong and landed the US in a late imperial funk. -- Iain Martin - The Times
[Gewen] remind[s] us of a very interesting and complex personality. -- Roger Boyes - The Times
In this magisterial account, Gewen... traces the historical and philosophical roots of Kissinger's famous realism, situating him in the context of Hannah Arendt and a cohort of other Jewish intellectuals who escaped Nazi Germany. -- 100 Notable Books of 2020 - The New York Times Book Review