Author(s): Edward Luce

History

'For anyone who wants to understand the history of America and the world, this is a useful and important book' ANNE APPLEBAUM
'A towering achievement. A book which is founded on deep scholarship, yet so accessible and readable from the very beginning that it feels more like a historical detective story' RAGEH OMAAR


Zbigniew Brzezinski was a political strategist who rose to prominence as an intellectual architect of US foreign policy during the Cold War. As National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter and a trusted advisor to US presidents from John F. Kennedy onwards, Brzezinski s expertise helped shape global strategy at critical moments - most significantly as a key figure in the downfall of the Soviet Union.


A Polish emigre who witnessed the devastation of his homeland during both Nazi and Soviet occupations, Brzezinski became one of the West s foremost scholars of totalitarianism. His nuanced understanding of the importance of speaking the enemy s language , coupled with his close friendship with Pope John Paul II was instrumental in preventing a Soviet invasion of Poland. While Nixon and Kissinger, his lifelong rival, famously opened China to the West in the early 1970s, it was Brzezinski and Carter who strengthened US-China relations, further shifting the global balance of power away from Moscow. Beyond the Cold War, Brzezinski continued to influence foreign policy, notably in shaping the nation s response to the 9/11 attacks. Yet his legacy remains underreported, leaving gaps in our understanding of Cold War history and its aftermath.


Edward Luce, celebrated columnist and political writer, restores Brzezinski s rightful place in history. Through a sweeping narrative that spans much of the 20th century, Zbig offers a gripping account of Brzezinski s life and, in doing so, narrates a compelling re-examination of the end of the Cold War.