Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level

by James K. Sebenius, R. Nicholas Burns, Robert H. Mnookin, Henry Kissinger (Foreword by)

Overview

Foreword by Henry Kissinger

In this groundbreaking, definitive guide to the art of negotiation, three Harvard professors—all experienced negotiators—offer a comprehensive examination of one of the most successful dealmakers of all time.

Politicians, world leaders, and business executives around the world—including every President from John F. Kennedy to Donald J. Trump—have sought the counsel of Henry Kissinger, a brilliant diplomat and historian whose unprecedented achievements as a negotiator have been universally acknowledged. Now, for the first time, Kissinger the Negotiator provides a clear analysis of Kissinger’s overall approach to making deals and resolving conflicts—expertise that holds powerful and enduring lessons.

James K. Sebenius (Harvard Business School), R. Nicholas Burns (Harvard Kennedy School of Government), and Robert H. Mnookin (Harvard Law School) crystallize the key elements of Kissinger’s approach, based on in-depth interviews with the former secretary of state himself about some of his most difficult negotiations, an extensive study of his record, and many independent sources. Taut and instructive, Kissinger the Negotiator mines the long and fruitful career of this elder statesman and shows how his strategies apply not only to contemporary diplomatic challenges but also to other realms of negotiation, including business, public policy, and law.

Essential reading for current and future leaders, Kissinger the Negotiator is an invaluable guide to reaching agreements in challenging situations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062694188
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	601,901
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

James K. Sebenius specializes in analyzing and advising corporations and governments worldwide on their most challenging negotiations. After years in the private sector (Blackstone) and the U.S. government (Commerce and State Departments), he is now the Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he founded the Negotiation unit and teaches advanced negotiation to students and senior executives. He directs the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School and is a partner in Lax Sebenius LLC, a negotiations strategy firm.

R. Nicholas Burns is the Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. A career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, he served as under secretary of state for political affairs and as ambassador to NATO and to Greece.

Robert H. Mnookin is the Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, the chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and the director of the Harvard Negotiation Research Project. As a mediator, facilitator, and consultant, he has applied his interdisciplinary approach to a wide range of commercial and political conflicts.

Henry A. Kissinger is an American diplomat and historian. He served as national security advisor and later, concurrently, as U.S. secretary of state in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. For his actions negotiating the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, Kissinger received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. Since retiring from government service, his advice has been sought by top business executives and world leaders, including subsequent U.S. presidents.

Table of Contents

Foreword Henry A. Kissinger vii

Preface xi

Introduction: Kissinger the Negotiator: A Story That Should Be Told xix

Part I How Kissinger Negotiates: The Forgotten Case of Southern Africa

1 Crafting a Negotiating Strategy 3

2 From Strategy to Execution 24

3 The Outcome of the Southern Africa Campaign and Insights into Effective Negotiation 55

Part II "Zooming Out"

4 Strategic: Big-Picture Negotiating 67

5 Realistic: Tracking the Deal/No-Deal Balance 82

6 Game Changing: Shaping the Deal/No-Deal Balance 102

7 Multiparty Dexterity: Orchestrating Complex Negotiations 163

Part III "Zooming In"

8 Introduction to Kissinger's Interpersonal Approach and Tactics 189

9 Reading Counterparts 194

10 Relationships and Rapport 211

11 Proposals, Concessions, and "Constructive Ambiguity" 222

12 Persistence, Momentum, and Shuttle Diplomacy 233

13 Secrecy, Centralization, and a Dominant Personal Role 239

Conclusion: Key Lessons on Negotiation from Henry Kissinger 257

Acknowledgments 289

Notes 291

Bibliography 369

Index 395

Editorial Reviews

Henry Kissinger’s acute understanding of all aspects of international negotiations, from his close attention to detail to his uncanny ability to craft effective negotiating strategies, has made him one of the most highly regarded diplomats in American history. Kissinger the Negotiator is a straightforward examination of Kissinger’s finely honed skills in statecraft that offers keen insight for anyone interested or involved in negotiations at any level.” — James A. Baker III, sixty-first U.S. secretary of state

“Kissinger was a masterly negotiator with a sense of both tactics and strategy. This book, based on deep interviews and research, shows his strengths and weaknesses as well as, most importantly, the lessons to be learned from his most complex endeavors.” — Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo Da Vinci

“Henry Kissinger’s negotiating record is legendary. In this engaging book, the authors were able to get to the root of his tactics and successes, and share practical insights for readers. I would highly recommend Kissinger the Negotiator for anyone facing challenging negotiations in business or diplomacy.” — John Chambers, former chairman, CEO, and president, Cisco Systems, Inc.

“A very readable and informative book that will serve future negotiators well. It also presents a new look at the importance of Henry Kissinger’s role in forming the world in which we now live.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

Henry Kissinger’s negotiating record is legendary. In this engaging book, the authors were able to get to the root of his tactics and successes, and share practical insights for readers. I would highly recommend Kissinger the Negotiator for anyone facing challenging negotiations in business or diplomacy.

John Chambers

Henry Kissinger’s acute understanding of all aspects of international negotiations, from his close attention to detail to his uncanny ability to craft effective negotiating strategies, has made him one of the most highly regarded diplomats in American history. Kissinger the Negotiator is a straightforward examination of Kissinger’s finely honed skills in statecraft that offers keen insight for anyone interested or involved in negotiations at any level.

James A. Baker III

A very readable and informative book that will serve future negotiators well. It also presents a new look at the importance of Henry Kissinger’s role in forming the world in which we now live.

Booklist

Kissinger the Negotiator is a fascinating book about one of the most talented and unique strategists on the world stage, who is thoughtful, strategic, and charming when necessary and assertive when not. There is a lot to learn by having Kissinger’s most important negotiations analyzed by academic experts who had extensive discussions with him about the thought processes that drove his strategic and tactical choices in highly challenging situations. I found the book exciting to read. Others who spend their lives negotiating important matters will as well. Required reading for those interested in affecting the world of affairs.

Stephen A. Schwarzman

02/12/2018
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. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A very readable and informative book that will serve future negotiators well. It also presents a new look at the importance of Henry Kissinger’s role in forming the world in which we now live.

Booklist

Kissinger was a masterly negotiator with a sense of both tactics and strategy. This book, based on deep interviews and research, shows his strengths and weaknesses as well as, most importantly, the lessons to be learned from his most complex endeavors.

Walter Isaacson