Throughline

The Legacy of Henry Kissinger


Listen Later

Depending on where you stand, Henry Kissinger is either a foreign policy mastermind or a war criminal. Some see him as a brilliant strategist who made tough but necessary decisions to advance American interests in a complex world; others point to his infamous order that American warplanes should "bomb anything that flies, on anything that moves" as evidence that he bears responsibility for the loss of countless civilian lives. But one thing both sides agree on is that few figures in the 20th century have had a more profound influence on how the U.S. conducts foreign policy.Kissinger grew up in an orthodox Jewish household in Germany, under the shadow of the Nazis' rise to power; he and his family fled to the U.S. when he was a teenager. Professor Jeremi Suri, author of "Henry Kissinger and the American Century," argues that Kissinger's experiences during the Holocaust have informed his approach to global politics throughout his career, as well as his relationship with democracy, war, and power. Today on the show, how Henry Kissinger shaped, and was shaped by, the 20th century.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

ThroughlineBy NPR

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

15,397 ratings


More shows like Throughline

View all
On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,157 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,821 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,860 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

37,883 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,688 Listeners

Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Reveal

8,245 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,353 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,784 Listeners

Embedded by NPR

Embedded

11,912 Listeners

Code Switch by NPR

Code Switch

14,544 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

110,822 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

55,991 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,210 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,004 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,488 Listeners