Morning Joe BONUS EPISODE: What today’s leaders can learn from Zbigniew Brzezinski
Jun 20, 2025
Ed Luce, U.S. national editor and columnist for the Financial Times, joins Joe Scarborough to discuss his biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski, highlighting his strategic brilliance and character complexities. Luce elaborates on Brzezinski's influential role in U.S. foreign policy and his evolution from a hardline strategist to a respected voice critiquing the Iraq War. The conversation touches on Brzezinski's accurate Cold War predictions and the vital lessons contemporary leaders can learn about effective statecraft and political communication.
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Mika Burns Letter but Ed Keeps It
- Mika Brzezinski burned one harsh letter her father wrote, but Ed Luce found a copy and included it in the book.
- This shows Luce's commitment to portraying Zbigniew Brzezinski's full character truthfully.
Brzezinski's Blunt Style vs Kissinger
- Brzezinski was a blunt strategist who often worked against his interests unlike the smoother Henry Kissinger.
- He had a more direct and confrontational style compared to Kissinger's political savvy.
Brzezinski Predicted Soviet Fall
- Brzezinski predicted the Soviet Union's fall due to its internal nationalities and rejected Kissinger's détente strategy.
- He believed the Soviet system had a limited shelf life and was skeptical of long-term Soviet power permanence.
