Summaries
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger — Chapter 28 — Nixon’s Triangular Diplomacy
This chapter discusses Nixon’s pragmatic approach to relations with China and the USSR, which were undermined by the Watergate scandal.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 27 – Vietnam: Nixon
This chapter discusses the end of the Vietnam War, during Nixon’s presidency in the United States.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 26 – Vietnam: Kennedy and Johnson
This chapter discusses the increased American participation in the Vietnam War, culminating in the administration of Lyndon Johnson.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 25 - Vietnam: Truman and Eisenhower
This chapter examines how the United States began its involvement in Vietnam, aiming to contain Communist ideology despite the complexities of local dynamics.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 24 - Concepts of Western Unity
This chapter discusses the different strategies of American, British and French statesmen to face the expansionism of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 23 - The Berlin Crisis
This chapter discusses the controversy regarding the status of Berlin during the Cold War, when the Soviets reacted to Western presence in Germany.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 22 - Hungary
This chapter discusses the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, when university students attempted to resist Soviet domination, but were repressed by the Warsaw Pact.
Summary: Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger
Diplomacy, by Henry Kissinger, provides an extensive sweep of the history of international relations.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 21 - The Suez Crisis
This chapter discusses the British, French and Israeli intervention after the Suez Canal was nationalized by Egypt.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 20 - Negotiating with the Communists
This chapter discusses the negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union prior to the death of Joseph Stalin.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 19 - The Korean War
This chapter discusses the Korean War and its role in shaping the foreign policy of the United States.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 18 - The Success and the Pain of Containment
This chapter discusses the development of the containment doctrine — the American strategy to win the Cold War.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 17 - The Beginning of the Cold War
This chapter discusses the disagreements between the United States and the Soviet Union that would lead to the Cold War.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 16 - Three Approaches to Peace
This chapter discusses peace negotiations in the final months of World War II.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 15 – America Re-enters the Arena
This chapter discusses the role of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in turning World War II in favor of the Allies.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 14 – The Nazi-Soviet Pact
This chapter discusses the beginning of World War II, focusing on Stalin’s failed attempt to appease Hitler.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 13 – Stalin’s Bazaar
This chapter discusses the maneuvers of Joseph Stalin’s USSR in the lead-up to World War II.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 12 – The End of Illusion
This chapter discusses the failure of the Treaty of Versailles, which enabled the rise of Hitler's Nazism and Mussolini's Fascism in Germany and Italy.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 11 – Stresemann and the Re-emergence of the Vanquished
This chapter discusses European politics in the interwar period, with a focus on the role of Gustav Stresemann to reinsert Germany in power politics.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 10 – The Dilemmas of the Victors
This chapter discusses the challenges affecting the European international order in the aftermath of World War I.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 9 – The New Face of Diplomacy
This chapter discusses the transition from the First World War to the Treaty of Versailles, influenced by Woodrow Wilson, that established a fragile peace.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 8 – Into the Vortex
This chapter discusses the short-term causes for the outbreak of World War I after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 7 – A Political Doomsday Machine
This chapter discusses the long-term tensions between Germany, Russia, Great Britain and France that led to World War I.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 6 – Realpolitik Turns on Itself
This chapter discusses the initiatives of Bismarck’s Germany to influence the balance of power in 19th-century Europe.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 5 – Two Revolutionaries
This chapter discusses the roles of Napoleon III and Otto von Bismarck in shaping France and Germany, respectively.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 4 – The Concert of Europe
This chapter discusses European politics after the Napoleonic Era, when five countries began to share power in the continent.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 3 – From Universality to Equilibrium
This chapter discusses European politics in the 17th century, focusing on the roles of Cardinal Richelieu, William of Orange, and William Pitt.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger – Chapter 2 – The Hinge
This chapter discusses the rise of the U.S. as a global power in the 20th century, thanks to the Roosevelt and the Wilson presidencies.
Summary: Diplomacy by Kissinger - Chapter 1 - The New World Order
This chapter introduces Kissinger's ideas about American diplomacy and briefly contrasts them with the policies of other countries.