Two Perspectives on Henry Kissinger w/ Michael Desch and Tim Shorrock

On this edition of the Parallax, we go over the life and career of controversial diplomat Henry Kissinger, who passed away at the age of 100 on November 29th, 2023. Although hailed by many in the U.S. Establishment as one of the most important minds in international relations and diplomacy through the 20th century, many on the Left (and even, as we shall see, some on the Right) take a more critical view of Kissinger. Namely, many left-wing activist and commentators, including, most famously, the late Christopher Hitchens, have argued Kissinger was a war criminal.

In the first segment of the show, Michael C. Desch, Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre and founding director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, discusses Kissinger from an realist perspective. Kissinger, as anyone familiar with him will know, is often considered one of the prememinet realist school of international relations figures of the 20th century. Desch, however, argues otherwise making the case that Kissinger was only an "occassional realist". In this conversation we delve into what realism is, the rift between Kissinger and his realist mentor Hans Morgenthau over Vietnam, why Desch thinks realist's should look towards Morgenthau more than Kissinger for foreign policy realism, the accusation that realism is social darwinism applied to nation-states, conservatism and realist thought, a realist perspective on the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende, the conflict between big L Liberalism and realism, the Thucydides quote "the strong do what they cand and the weak suffer what they must", balance of powers and realism as a theory of peace rather than war, and much, much more. 

In the second segment, journalist Tim Shorrock, Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing, returns to discuss Henry Kissinger and his bloodstained legacy in international relations and foreign policy from an anti-imperialist perspective, Tim offers a scathing critique of Kissinger's life and career from Kissinger's involvement in Vietnam, the bombing of Cambodia, the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende, the East Timor massacre, and more. We'll also delve into Kissinger and President Richard Nixon opening up the U.S.-China relationship in the 1970s, which many assess as one of the more positive moments in Kissinger's career. We also delve into why Kissinger is so well-regarded in the U.S. Establishment. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.