Years of Renewal [Paperback]

Henry Kissinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2000

Perhaps the best-known American diplomatist of the twentieth century, Henry Kissinger is a major figure in world history, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and arguably one of the most brilliant minds ever placed at the service of American foreign policy, as well as one of the shrewdest, best-informed, and most articulate men ever to occupy a position of power in Washington.

The eagerly awaited third and final volume of his memoirs completes a major work of contemporary history. It is at once an important historical document and a brilliantly told narrative of almost Shakespearean intensity, full of startling insights, unusual (and often unsparing) candor, and a sweeping sense of history. Years of Renewal is the triumphant conclusion of a major achievement and a book that will stand the test of time as a historical document of the first rank.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is an old joke that Henry Kissinger is so full of himself he once wrote a book called Famous People Who Have Met Me. That strong sense of self is on full display in this third volume of memoirs (the other two are White House Years and Years of Upheaval). Kissinger, a national security advisor and secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations, is a foreign-policy maestro fond of describing the difficult subtleties of his job. He is also, at times, generous with his praise--especially with this whopper: "I am certain the time will come when it is recognized that the Cold War could not have been won had not Gerald Ford, at a tragic point of America's history, been there to keep us from losing it." Years of Renewal begins during Nixon's final days, and provides a few key insights into the man Kissinger calls "perhaps [the] most complex President of the twentieth century." One eye opener is the revelation that Nixon ordered the bombing of the Damascus airport in 1969 during a hijacking incident "to impress his pals." (It was called off the next morning.) The bulk of the book (and bulk is the right word--there are nearly 1,100 pages of text before the footnotes) focuses on Ford, who comes across as much more statesmanlike than the popular image of him as a bungling caretaker. The portraits of contemporary world leaders are also valuable. Kissinger combines detail and clarity to deliver an important chronicle of American diplomacy during the 1970s. --John Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Having aspired to be a modern-day Metternich, Kissinger has always placed great value on subtlety. Indeed, one of his favorite charges against his many political and bureaucratic adversaries is that they don't understand the nuances of policy, tactics or strategy. Throughout this final volume of his memoirs (after White House Years and Years of Upheaval), he takes painsAoften unsubtle painsAto tell readers how subtle he is. Of the Middle East peace process, he writes: "If foreign policy were as simple as the study of it in academic seminars, Jordan would have been the logical candidate for the next step." The implication, of course, is that foreign policy is not so simple, and Kissinger takes pride in reminding readers that he always kept all the complexities in mind. And yet Kissinger remains so informative that readers will happily permit him this indulgence. The book starts with Nixon's resignation and continues through the two years of the Ford administration. One of the surprises is the high regard in which Kissinger holds Ford: "I am certain the time will come when it is recognized that the Cold War could not have been won had not Gerald Ford, at a tragic point of America's history, been there to keep us from losing it." In his portrait of Nixon, Kissinger adopts the interpretation that seems to be hardening into conventional wisdomAthat of a supremely gifted analytical mind tragically undone by paranoia and an existential discomfort with being alive. Ford, by contrast, emerges from these pages as a man whose admitted lack of flair is the flip side of an inner confidence that is, perhaps uniquely among politicians, unimpeded by egotism. As Kissinger explains China policy, Soviet policy, Middle East diplomacy and various crises (in Cyprus, Angola and elsewhere), his insight extends not only to explanations of policy but also to accounts of bureaucratic infighting and turf battlesAas well as to relations between the executive branch and Congress. His account of how, regarding arms control and d?tente, he and Ford tried to determine the national interest while being squeezed between a "McGovernite Congress" and the hard right will give readers a sophisticated political lesson. Kissinger was a shrewd courtier and ferocious infighter, and he takes a deadpan delight in showing readers just how adept he was. At the same time, he's magnanimous toward those with whom he once locked horns, throwing appreciative bouquets to such former adversaries as Senator Scoop Jackson and William Rogers ("I am not proud of the way I participated in Nixon's attempts to marginalize the man," he writes of the man he replaced as Nixon's secretary of state). Even readers predisposed to see Kissinger as a villain may come away from the book with at least grudging admiration for him and with a deeperAand, yes, more subtleAunderstanding of the complexities of foreign policy and its domestic political dimensions. First serial to Time.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1152 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (March 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684855720
• ISBN-13: 978-0684855721
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Ford, not a Lincoln, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Years of Renewal (Hardcover)

I found HAK's memoirs to reflect the mood of the period they describe. Years of Upheaval was about one of the boldest periods of American foreign policy. The book was equally fascinating and self-confident. The Ford presidency was a period of unprecedented involvement of Congress in the making of foreign affairs, with the unavoidable mishaps that resulted of the difference of policy between the branches of government. I found Years of Renewal too preoccupied on demonstrating who was to blame for the lack of direction in many areas, the usual culprit being the "McGovernite Congress".

Kissinger's political legacy is still with us and the book is a must read to get a historical perspective on the various foreign policy platforms unveiled by the Republican presidential candidates.

A unique aspect of the book is the focus on African diplomacy. Some of the best chapters are about the shuttle diplomacy that lead to majority rule in Rodhesia.

Not enough Secretaries of State contribute to the public record in such a prolific way. HAK's memoirs, however controversial, are necessary to understand that historical period.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and intense, June 2, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Years of Renewal (Hardcover)

Brilliant and intense. Like Churchill, Kissinger not only made history, but was able to write about it. Also like Churchill, one must filter some of what one reads through an understanding of its author. Fair enough.

What the reader gets in all three volumes (and, by the way, his book, "Diplomacy") is an insight into how the post-WWII, post-Soviet world was shaped. To his credit, HAK enunciates his principles, exemplifies them in his actions, and champions them passionately both in victory and in defeat. You may not agree with him, but if you disagree, you are forced to review your assumptions about how the world should and does work. I found the sections on the fall of Vietnam particularly harrowing, as it forced me to review the beliefs I espoused during this troubled time.

A lesser, but still fascinating, facet of the work is the character sketches HAK draws of various leaders. From Julius Nyrere to Gerald Ford (whose virtues are seen far to outweigh his faults), they illuminate the often-Byzantine negotiations depicted.

So read it. Make up your own mind. You may be outraged, you may be frustrated. But you will not be bored.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "In The Moment of Victory, Button Your Chin Strap!", October 3, 2000

By 

Harold Y. Grooms (Prattville, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Years of Renewal (Hardcover)

Henry Kissinger's book, "Years of Renewal," is a complete review of U.S. foreign policy initiatives while he was Secretary of State under President Gerald R. Ford. In it, he details how they built upon the foreign policy successes of the Nixon Administration and laid the foundation for the resurgence of the American spirit seen during the Reagan Administration. From a diplomatic standpoint, this may have been America's finest hour.

With the possible exception of Lincoln, no U.S. president has inherited a nation as severely divided as Gerald R. Ford. Immediately after assuming office, he faced one international crisis after another with a hostile, "McGovernite Congress," and an emasculated intelligence gathering system that made effective response to even the most extreme provocations virtually impossible. Kissinger says throughout, Ford made decisions solely on what was best for the nation, not on what was politically expedient. His reward for such selfless service: defeat in the next election.

Like Kissinger's other works, this book can be read either in individual chapters or be taken as a whole. In each segment he details, what they did, what their options were, the assumptions their actions were based upon, and if unsuccessful, what their fall back plan was to be. In spite of seemingly insurmountable odds, they were able to hold the Atlantic Alliance together, strengthen our ties to the Peoples Republic of China, and keep the Soviets out of both the Middle East and Africa.

The Chinese war philosopher, Sun Tsu said, "In the moment of victory, button your chin strap." History has proven the Soviets should have listened. Given our national paralysis following Vietnam/Watergate, it seemed they could not be stopped. In the international chess game--that is diplomacy at the highest levels--they were stopped through the efforts of a few, dedicated statesmen who blocked them at every turn. The fall of the Soviet Union and Communism was the ultimate result.

This book is a textbook on how to conduct foreign policy. Enlightening and informative, it has inspired me to read Kissinger's other works, "White House Years," and "Years of Upheaval." I highly recommend it to any serious student of the era.