Behind the Bastards CZM Rewind: Kissinger Parts 1-3
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Dec 26, 2023 Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds from The Dollop podcast join to discuss the life and crimes of Henry Kissinger, one of the 20th century's greatest war criminals. Topics include Kissinger's rejection of religion and love for soccer, his rise to power, his involvement in the nuclear arms race, his manipulation tactics during the Vietnam War, and the consequences of his secret bombing campaign in Cambodia. They also discuss the tendency to idolize figures despite their unethical actions and the lack of accountability for those in power.
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Ideas As Weapons To Gain Power
- Henry Kissinger built influence by treating ideas as weapons and moving between opposing groups to get power.
- He prioritized access to power over consistent beliefs, using charm and intellectualism to persuade elites.
Childhood Trauma And Denial
- Kissinger fled Nazi Germany as a child and later denied that childhood persecution affected him.
- He insisted publicly the experience left no deeper impressions while privately it shaped his obsession with order.
Realpolitik Rooted In Order Over Justice
- Mentors like Fritz Kramer and Thomas Schelling shaped Kissinger into a realpolitik thinker valuing order over justice.
- That intellectual framework later justified risking mass violence for perceived geopolitical stability.