Why Zbig Still Matters

Biographer Edward Luce on the life and legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski.

VIEW IN BROWSER  ON DEMAND NOW Biographer Edward Luce on the life and legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski. As American foreign policy hinges more and more on the gut instinct of one person—President Donald Trump, of course—it's tempting to wonder how policymakers from a previous generation might think about the White House today. Would Henry Kissinger have preferred a smaller National Security Council, for example? But surely, a figure of his stature and media savviness would have clashed with the current occupant of the Oval Office? While there are several tomes on Kissinger, his contemporary and sometime rival, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has not been profiled as much. The journalist Edward Luce seeks to change that in his new biography, Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet, which draws on remarkable access to personal diaries and letters to recount the life of one of the great figures in U.S. foreign-policy history. Luce joined FP Live host Ravi Agrawal to discuss Brzezinski's life, legacy, and how he would gauge geopolitics today. CATCH UP ON THE FULL CONVERSATION Watch the full interview.  See highlights from this FP Live. Read a condensed and edited transcript. REGISTER FOR UPCOMING FP LIVE CONVERSATIONS Is the Dollar in Danger? July 7, 2025  |  12:00 PM EDT Economist Kenneth Rogoff will join FP Live to discuss what U.S. President Donald Trump's policies mean for the growth, the global economy, and whether there are viable alternatives to the dollar. Register here. The View from Indonesia July 15, 2025  |  11:00 AM EDT How does Indonesia view Donald Trump's presidency and a shifting world order? Join FP Live for a wide-ranging discussion with Dino Patti Djalal, a former vice minister for foreign affairs. Register here. WATCH OTHER RECENT CONVERSATIONS A Redrawn Middle East? After Israel launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets, Tehran threatened retaliation. How might this affect nuclear talks? How do the attacks reshape power dynamics in the Middle East? Vali Nasr joined FP Live to discuss. How Gen Z Thinks About Foreign Policy Generation Z is coming of age at a historically turbulent time. Kyla Scanlon, who has been dubbed the "economic advisor for Gen Z," joined FP's Ravi Agrawal for a wide-ranging discussion on world affairs. New Issue Out Now FP's Summer 2025 issue enlists nine historians and thinkers to play the game of comparing Trump with figures in history, with surprising results. Save 50% with code SUMMER50 to unlock the issue. GAIN ACCESS This email was sent to ooseims.archieves@blogger.com because you are opted-in to receive notifications about FP Live programming. Don't want to receive further communications about this event? Manage your FP Live email preferences. MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES  |  VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY  |  UNSUBSCRIBE  Interested in partnering with FP on events, podcasts, or research? Explore FP Solutions. Foreign Policy is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2024 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.