Kissinger the Negotiator

February 12, 2018
Sebenius, Burns, and Mnookin, professors of business, government, and law, respectively, insightfully chronicle key moments from Henry Kissinger’s diplomatic career, and less successfully try to relate them to the art of business negotiations. The authors’ knowledge of their subject can’t be faulted: they extensively cite Kissinger’s speeches and memoirs, as well as new interviews with him conducted for the book. Topics include the secret talks on ending the Vietnam War, the push for U.S. rapprochement with China, and the “shuttle diplomacy” undertaken to end the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. The authors find some promising tactics, such as Kissinger’s ability to simultaneously “zoom out” to the big picture and “zoom in” on his counterparts’ specific traits. As an example of the latter skill, they cite his memos to Nixon about the contrasting personalities of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai before the president’s historic visit to China in 1973. However, the book’s historical analyses overshadow its intended function as a repository of business advice, which receives short shrift throughout. The authors do share Kissinger’s 15 main negotiating tactics, such as “think strategically, act opportunistically,” in an appendix, this time sans historical context, but the gesture comes off as too little, too late.