Kissinger at 99: Influence and Controversy
Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. A popular public lecturer and frequent news commentator, his writings appear in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, The Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, and other media. Professor Suri has received the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri hosts the weekly podcast, “This is Democracy,” and is the author and editor of eleven books, including: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office; Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; and Henry Kissinger and the American Century. His most recent book is entitled: Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy.
Overview
For more than 50 years, Henry Kissinger has been one of the most influential people in American foreign policy. He was never elected to any office, yet he re-shaped how Americans interact with the rest of the world. This lecture will trace his long, 99-year life from German-Jewish refugee to soldier in the U.S. Army, professor, policy maker, and pundit. Professor Suri will examine Kissinger’s policies–and the many controversies surrounding them–in Vietnam, China, Russia, and the Middle East. This lecture also will assess Kissinger’s legacy as he approaches his 100th birthday.