Zbigniew Brzezinski was one of the great strategists of our time. When only 22, he came up with a theory to win the Cold War that ultimately brought down the Soviet Union decades later. As National Security Advisor to Jimmy Carter, he also helped negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt, as well as normalise the United States’ relations with China.

On the show today, Aaron talks to Edward Luce of the Financial Times about his brilliant new biography of Brzezinski. They discuss:

* His unique insights about the Soviet Union

* Why they brought him into conflict with Henry Kissinger

* How Brzezinski became a ruthless bureaucratic knifefighter

Aaron and Edward also touch on the Iran hostage crisis, Brzezinski’s prophecies about Russia and Ukraine, and if Donald Trump is the intellectual heir of Nixon and Kissinger.

We also find out what Edward has in common with Cate Blanchett…

If you would like to buy Zbig, check out the strategyaaron Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/strategyaaron

Other links:

Edward’s Bluesky | Aaron’s Bluesky

This week’s recommended read is Sam Freedman’s interview with John Ganz about the ‘90s origins of Trump’s politics

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