Leadership

May 16, 2022
One of America’s most legendary diplomats finds the soul in statecraft in these enlightening sketches of world leaders. Former secretary of state Kissinger (World Order) profiles 20th-century potentates, toasting German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer for resurrecting democratic legitimacy from Nazism’s ashes; Charles de Gaulle for his chutzpah in declaring himself the leader of Free France during WWII; Egyptian president Anwar Sadat for his visionary quest for peace with Israel; Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew for creating a modern, multicultural city-state; British prime minister Margaret Thatcher for her stubborn conviction in reviving Britain’s economy and military reach; and Richard Nixon for his finesse in balancing geopolitical rivalries amid endless crises. Kissinger infuses his lucid policy analyses with colorful firsthand observations, quoting, for example, Thatcher’s response to his broaching of possible compromises with Argentina during the Falkland Islands war: “How can you, my old friend? How can you say these things?” Finding moral uplift in these narratives of intricate realpolitik, Kissinger claims that Nixon’s bloody, yearslong exit from the Vietnam War avoided the “spiritual and geopolitical abdication” of a quick withdrawal. Many readers will disagree with that interpretation and others, but Kissinger’s portraits of politicians spinning weakness and defeat into renewed strength are captivating. This is a vital study of power in action. Photos.

May 15, 2022
A middling attempt to argue the greatness of Margaret Thatcher, Charles de Gaulle, and, of course, Richard Nixon. How many more times will Kissinger try to exonerate Nixon, and thereby himself? As many times as he can put out a book, evidently. In a constellation of political leaders, all known to him, he exalts six case studies--and he's not shy of laying claim to some of their collective greatness. One figure will be little known to those outside Kissinger's circles: Konrad Adenauer, who guided Germany out of its postwar devastation "by abandoning its decades-long quest for domination of Europe...and rebuilding it on a moral foundation which reflected his own Christian values and democratic convictions." Lee Kuan Yew attempted to make a similar new world with the new state of Singapore. Thatcher and de Gaulle, though not quite contemporaries, brought different versions of a united Europe to the table, with de Gaulle leading a transformation of France from imperial and colonial power to stable democracy and Thatcher holding Europe at arm's length in what might be seen as the first rumblings of Brexit. Kissinger, as always, tends to the long and sometimes bloodless, as when he writes of Anwar Sadat, "as a minister to Nasser, he had gravitated toward frameworks governed more by state sovereignty than by imperial hegemony or regional solidarity." The author's bid for Nixon to be seen as a moral leader falls flat. What elevates the book is the conclusion, which examines the distinctions between aristocratic and meritocratic leadership and the contributions of meritocracy and growing democracy to a political milieu that "enabled and institutionalized the rise of middle-class leaders." Such middle-class leaders can, of course, go bad--witness Putin--but all the same, Kissinger calls for a revival of "humanistic education" and character in helping "guide the ship of state to an unknown, but more secure and peaceful, harbor." Of some interest to aspiring geopoliticians, but Kissinger's conventional wisdom won't surprise previous readers.

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Starred review from June 1, 2022

Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Kissinger (Diplomacy; World Order) fulfills expectations with a reflective, contextual analysis of 20th century political leaders he knew. They are ascribed with their distinctive approaches (strategies) to problem solving: Adenauer--humility after Germany's WWII defeat; de Gaulle--willpower; Nixon--geopolitical equilibrium; Sadat--transcendence over conflict; Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew--imaginative excellence; and Thatcher--iron-willed discipline. Kissinger bookends accounts of these acquaintances with definitions of leadership and criticism of current trends, such as the shift from pensive print to more polarizing visual culture. That arguably stifles the appearance of similar figures. True goal setters are not visionaries but pragmatic managers, who derive their strength and sense of self by studying the humanities and from deep, religious convictions. They connect their "Westphalian" defined nation and states' pasts and futures by being public educators with courage (virtue) and character (values.) Both generalists and specialists should note that Kissinger positively describes the non-ideological Nixon, a fellow practitioner of detente and Realpolitik, as often willing to do the unconventional and provocative. VERDICT Recommended for Kissinger's distinctive perspectives imbedded in scholarly, readable prose.--Frederick J. Augustyn Jr.

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