Categories: Daniel Serwer

Stevenson’s army, November 30

Henry Kissinger died Wednesday, 6 months after his 100th birthday. NYT has a comprehensive obit.  Fred Kaplan is more critical, drawing on declassified documents bundled by the National Security Archive.

As most of you know, Kissinger was one of my academic mentors. I TA’d in his course for two years, had weekly meetings with him. I almost went to work in his NSC — until my immediate sponsors resigned in protest because of the invasion of Cambodia.

I was disappointed that he never wrote a letter of recommendation for my academic job portfolio, but Tony Lake later told me he said he was too busy. Lake also said I was in good company. Among the other things Kissinger repeatedly didn’t have time for were relations with the UN and foreign economic policy.

– There’s a new poll showing US polarization and willingness to use political violence.

– NYT analyzes polls on US views of Israel and Palestine.

– NYT notes danger of US-Iran war.

– Paul Musgrave tells how views of war have changed.

One more point on Kissinger: while I admire many of his accomplishments and deplore others, I especially resent his way of trying to avoid responsibility by making jokes. [“The illegal we do right away; the unconstitutional takes a little longer.”]

Daniel Serwer

Share
Published by
Daniel Serwer

Recent Posts

It’s still a long road to change

I was pleased today to spend an hour and a half or so among the…

3 days ago

People are not pleased but it will get worse

He wants an America swollen with racial prejudice and isolated from the world. Half the…

5 days ago

Okay, but still a long way to go

Is this a revival of the 1920s and 1930s America that tried to limit immigration,…

7 days ago

Hope is where the wild things are

Hope lies wherever the restraining and suffocating writ of the Trump Administration does not extend.…

1 week ago

America made a giant mistake

It will take more time for Americans to fathom the mistake they have made. But…

2 weeks ago

Serbia is going backwards

I received this plea today. The issues are not new but now the situation is…

3 weeks ago