Description
Book SynopsisQuandt, Robert Hunter, James Thomson, Patrick Vaughan, Marin Strmecki, James Mann, David Ignatius, Adam Garfinkle, Stephen F. Szabo, Francis Fukuyama, Charles Gati
Trade ReviewA highly readable volume of reflections on the legendary Cold Warrior by academics, journalists and Brzezinski's colleagues that nonetheless avoids the dryness of a classical academic tract... A welcome addition to the field of political science, simultaneously being a portrait of a complex, intellectually rigorous, and self-confident Polish-American academic and national security advisor in the Carter administration, as well as a reflection upon American foreign policy in the post-war era. New Eastern Europe Zbig is an informative and challenging introduction to Zbigniew Brzezinski... For armchair enthusiasts and those struggling to unravel the complicated issues of international affairs and foreign policy, Zbig is a good place to start. New York Journal of Books This biography tells us a lot not just about Zbig but about America's own checkered history in Brzezinski's lifetime. Campaign for the American Reader Will fill a gap on Brzezinski in serious political science collections. Library Journal Captures his extraordinary insights into international politics as well as his commitment to a morally inspired political realism. It will be read with great satisfaction... The editor and the contributors ought to be commended for their superb accomplishment. International Affairs Part biography, personal reflection, history, and policy analysis, this expertly compiled book provides a fascinating insight into the private and public worlds of one of the foremost architects of American foreign policy in the twentieth century, and indeed today... This is no small achievement, as the book is easily one of the best retrospectives of a public figure in recent years... Gati's lengthy and detailed interview with Brzezinski (a recollection of sorts) permits the reader the direct insight of the man himself following the various accounts of the contributors. It's an exceptional feature in what otherwise would still have been a first-rate profile... The book is easy to return to, and hard to put down... Skillfully edited, relentlessly referenced, and well composed, this should be essential reading for any observer (academic or otherwise) of American politics and foreign policy. Russian Review Zbig: The Strategy and Statecraft of Zbigniew Brzezinski is a valuable contribution to the field of U.S. foreign policy history since 1945 because of Zbig the intellectual, the policy-maker, and the commentator... Brzezinski's role as a Cold War scholar and intellectual, the descriptions of how it was to work (and study) under him, and his elder statesmanship as delineated in Zbig add to the study of not only Zbig himself but U.S. foreign relations in general. -- Benedict von Bremen Sehepunkte Charles Gati has produced a valuable, informative book that examines the many facets of Brzezinski's life and works and seeks to place the man, his era, and his writings within the broader context of the United States, along with its adversaries and partners, adapting to a changing world. Journal of Cold War Studies Dozens of books have been written about Henry Kissinger, America's master diplomat during the cold war. Until now, none has appeared in English about Kissinger's great rival and sparring partner, Zbigniew Brzezinski... [ Zbig is] long overdue. Financial Times This is a rich and much- deserved presentation of Brzezinski's accomplishments. The Polish Review
Table of ContentsForeword, by Jimmy Carter
Preface, by Charles Gati
Part I: From the Ivy League
Chapter 1. Zbig, Henry, and the New U.S. Foreign Policy Elite
Chapter 2. The Fall of Totalitarianism and the Rise of Zbigniew Brzezinski
Chapter 3. Anticipating the Grand Failure
Part II: To the National Security Council
Chapter 4. Setting the Stage for the Current Era
Chapter 5. Beijing's Friend, Moscow's Foe
Chapter 6. The Caricature and the Man
Chapter 7. Dealing with the Middle East
Chapter 8. Working Hard, Having Fun at the NSC
Chapter 9. The Evening Report
Part III: The Policy Advocate
Chapter 10. Brzezinski, the Pope, and the "Plot" to Free Poland
Chapter 11. Witnessing the Grand Failure in Moscow, 1989
Chapter 12. Brzezinski and Iraq: The Makings of a Dove
Chapter 13. Solving the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Chapter 14. The Strategic Thinker
Part IV: Portraits
Chapter 15. The Professor
Chapter 16. An Appreciation
Chapter 17. A Self-Assessment
Acknowledgments
Chronology
Selected Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
Illustrations follow page 111
