{"product_id":"the-inevitability-of-tragedy-henry-kissinger-and-his-world-9780393867565","title":"The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eThe Inevitability of Tragedy\u003c\/em\u003e, 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. Crucially, Gewen places Kissinger's pessimistic thought in a European context. He considers how Kissinger was deeply impacted by his experience as a refugee from Nazi Germany, and explores the links between his notions of power and those of his mentor, Hans Morgenthau--the father of Realism--as well as those of two other German-Jewish émigrés who shared his concerns about the weaknesses of democracy: Leo Strauss and Hannah Arendt. \u003cem\u003eThe Inevitability of Tragedy\u003c\/em\u003e offers a thoughtful perspective on the origins of Kissinger's sober worldview and argues that a reconsideration of his career is essential at a time when American foreign policy lacks direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGewen, Barry:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eBarry Gewen\u003c\/strong\u003e, an editor at the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e for thirty years, has written on politics, international affairs, and culture for several publications, including the \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eNew Republic\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDissent\u003c\/em\u003e, and the \u003cem\u003eNational Interest\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in New York City.","brand":"W. W. Norton \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51572121927954,"sku":"9780393867565","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_203a56ac-0e69-46d3-994b-b4fd55769f97.jpg?v=1755853431","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-inevitability-of-tragedy-henry-kissinger-and-his-world-9780393867565","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}