Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet

In this sprawling biography, Financial Times columnist Luce (The Retreat of Western Liberalism) aims to re-situate Zbigniew Brzezinski as a major 20th-century foreign policy thinker. Brezinski (1928–2017) rose to prominence as Soviet relations adviser to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, in which role he advocated “peaceful engagement,” believing that “soft power” would counter communism more effectively than hostility. Later, however, as President Carter’s national security adviser, he oversaw the arming of Afghanistan’s mujahideen in their fight against the Soviets—the same kind of covert operation he maligned when done by President Nixon. According to Luce, such apparent wishy-washiness—another notable example being Brzezinski’s temporary abandonment of the Democratic party in the late ’80s—was actually the result of rigid integrity, as Brzezinski always stuck with what he deemed the most impactful anti-communist position. In contrast to “frenemy” Henry Kissinger (who was always willing to say convenient things to curry favor), Brzezinski frequently sparred with others, an irascibility that slowly shut him out of power, even as, in Luce’s telling, his unpopular opinions repeatedly turned out to be ahead of the curve. Luce’s depiction of Brzezinski is somewhat hindered by a lack of in-depth character analysis—sometimes, Brzezinski’s single-mindedness seems more like obsessiveness, a flaw Luce doesn’t mine for its implications. Still, this immersive history will appeal to foreign policy wonks. (May)