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Title: Kissinger Transcripts: The Top Secret Talks With Beijing and Moscow by Henry Kissinger, William Burr ISBN: 1-56584-480-7 Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: February, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating
Comment: Although much of Burr's analysis leaves a lot to be desired, this book is a must have for a first hand look at Kissinger's diplomatic legacy. There is still much information that has not been declassified and therefore _The Kissinger Transcripts_ presents only a partial picture at best, but Burr's compilation is well worth the effort to see Kissinger's many different diplomatic faces show themselves as he deals with different characters such as Mao, Brezhnev, Zhou Enlai, Gromyko, Deng Xiaoping and others. It is truly fascinating to examine the different rhetorical tactics employeed by Kissinger to suit his particular audience. Incidentally, this bit of genius appears to be lost upon Burr, and others too, who view these many Kissinger faces with a seeming lack of understanding and even think of it as somewhat contradictory. The guiding theme when examined as a whole, however, is that Kissinger worked toward the improvement of the position of the United States in the world power structure. There is no doubt that the opening of China, coupled with Kissinger's deft Middle East diplomacy, did just that. These transcripts shed some much needed light on the operations of perhaps the United States' greatest executor of foreign policy.
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential reading on Foreign Policy
Comment: The lengths to which Kissinger went to recruit the Chinese on the American side in the Cold War are instructive to those who believe that America played its cards well on the international arena in the Cold War. Much of the story that William Burr has pieced together--quite admirably in my opinion--is sad reading from the American point of view. Less so, of course, from the Chinese perspective. At points, it is easy to forget which of the parties was the superpower, and which the third world nation rising from internal turmoil, economic collapse and a severely hostile international situation. It is particularly instructive to read this book in context of the question of dealing with China, a problem which America has grappled with fitfully over the past two decades. The roots of Chinese suspicion of "peaceful evolution" and "engagement" lie in their recollection of the avid wooing of China in the 1970s.
On a local note, for the Asian reader, Kissinger's views on dealing with the Indian subcontinent are also instructive, including his open willingness to pressurise India in the Bangladesh crisis. In general terms, the Nixon administration's bias was perceived in India, and has been one of the reasons for the difficult relationship between India and USA in the 1970s and early 1980s. This book only provides proof of that less-than-subtle 'tilt'.
This book is invaluable reference material to all students of international relations, even if it is used as a "how-not-to" manual. The only gripe is the shoddy proof reading, with typos and inconsistent romanisation of Chinese names. But that is a small price to pay for this excellent piece of research.
Buy this book, you won't regret it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Necessary material for students of international relations
Comment: Individuals indeed can change the world, as evidenced by some of the transcripts in this excellent collection of original documents. William Burr has delivered an important record of the actions of the principle actors during the United States' shift from Kennan-inspired containment policy to balance-of-power politics.
Reaping the benefits of the Freedom of Information Act and declassification projects at the federal agencies responsible for U.S. foreign policy, Burr and his colleagues at the National Security Archive project at George Washington University have brought us the raw, unadulterated truths surrounding the diplomacy behind Nixon's detente with the Soviet Union and rapprochement with China. Gems such as the momentous first meeting of Nixon and Mao with Zhou Enlai and Kissinger in attendance cannot be missed.
Excellent primary source material with copious notes from Burr. A must-have for anyone interested in Kissinger and his relationships with Nixon, Mao and Brezhnev.
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Title: Ending the Vietnam War : A History of America's Involvement in and Extrication from the Vietnam War by Henry Kissinger ISBN: 074321532X Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 11 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: YEARS OF RENEWAL by Henry Kissinger ISBN: 0684855720 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 22 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger ISBN: 0671510991 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 04 April, 1995 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: Crisis : The Anatomy of Two Major Foreign Policy Crises: Based on the Record of Henry Kissinger's Hitherto Secret Telephone Conversations by Henry Kissinger ISBN: 0743249100 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 25 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Orphans of the Cold War: America and the Tibetan Struggle for Survival by John Kenneth Knaus ISBN: 1891620185 Publisher: PublicAffairs Pub. Date: September, 1999 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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