How Henry Kissinger Accumulated and Wielded Power

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The Washington Roundtable revisits an episode recorded after Henry Kissinger’s death, in November, 2023. Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer and Evan Osnos evaluate Kissinger’s controversial legacy, share anecdotes from his time in and around Washington, and discuss how he continued to shape U.S. foreign policy long after leaving the State Department.

“There are not that many hundred-year-olds who insist upon their own relevance and actually are relevant,” Glasser says.

This week’s reading:

• “Henry Kissinger’s Hard Compromises,” by Evan Osnos
• “Why Washington Couldn’t Quit Kissinger,” by Isaac Chotiner

This episode was originally published in December, 2023.

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