A review by skitch41
Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger

4.0

I picked this book up because of who the author is and I am happy that I did. This relatively breezy narrative takes the reader from the formations of Western-style diplomacy after the Peace of Westphalia to the end of the Cold War over three hundred years later. Through it all, Mr. Kissinger gives his very sharp analysis of nearly every event that shaped the Western world during that period. Surprisingly, though this book does support Kissinger's love of Big Power politics, he actually gives a spot-on analysis of what separates American diplomacy from European diplomacy. And during the chapters dealing with the Nixon Administration, Mr. Kissinger stays rather objective even when talking about his own views and accomplishments during that time. And even though this was written in 1994, the final chapter looking ahead at future U.S. diplomacy still remains quite prescient. Of course, this book is also susceptible to the weaknesses that Kissinger's diplomacy has. Practically no mention is given about U.S.-South American relations until the end, and even then it's only a page or two. And Africa only comes up in passing whenever it has something to do with U.S.-Soviet relations during the Cold War. In closing, this is a good book for those who want a general overview of the history of Western diplomacy, but don't expect to read too much about diplomatic history beyond the Western world.