Favorable or Unfavorable #101: Zbigniew Brzezinski

[vcczar]

Polish-born Zbigniew Brzezinski or Kissinger will have the most actions for a National Security Advisor. Brzezinski has had the greatest influence on foriegn policy for Democrats. It's said that Biden's playbook is following Brzezinski's Doctrine, especially in Ukraine right now. 

I've read many of his books, and I recommend the Grand Chessboard. In fact, the first board game/computer game I ever made was based on his books. I still have the spreadsheets for the game somewhere, although I might not have the rules. 

His actions:

Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1961?	JFK advisor, predicts USSR stagnation will break state up along lines of nationality eventually
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1973	Co-founds the Trilateral Commission, serving as its first director
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1977	Confirmed Nat Sec Adv for Carter
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1979	Major role in SALT II treaty w/ USSR
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1979	Major role in covert operations in repelling Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1980	Active in supporting Polish Solidarity against Soviet Bloc w/ Pope John Paul II
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1980	Principle architect of the Carter Doctrine
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1980	Helped plan the failed Iran Hostage rescue attempt
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1981	Declines Reagan's offer to stay on as Nat Sec Adv
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1988	Crosses party lines to vote for Bush over Dukakis
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1988	Falsely predicts that Russia will still be Communist for a couple of more decades
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1990	Opposes Gulf War, accurately predicting it would build resentment in the Arab world
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1997	His Grand Chessboard book predicts the geopolitics and goals of several nation, including the US
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	1998	Urges Eastward Expansion of NATO (esp. adding Ukraine) as best antidote to weaken Russia
Brzezinski, Zbigniew	2007	Publishes book describing GW Bush's foreign policy as "catastrophic"

[vcczar]

As quasi-pacifistic as I am, if one is going to be an interventionist, he probably does it in the most respectful and "ethical" way. His intervention requires a lot of humanitarianism, typically to win over support from allies and even from people impacted by the intervention. 

[OrangeP47]

I'll go favorable, but I will say in large part because of overall success not necessarily captured here by actions.  The actual actions are kind of middle of the road fence sitting, but I imagine most foreign policy focused people would come up as that for me as I'm generally case by case basis.

[Murrman104]

Reading any book on the Carter administration seems to involve Brzezinski bungling something that Secretary of State Cyrus Vance had the right take on. He completely fucked the Iran Hostage Crisis.  Here are some quotes about him from Reaganland by Rick Perlstein (as i have it on hand and dont have to go hunting for anything else)

"He had advocated escalation in Vietnam and, when Vance was quitting the foreign service in protest against that war, argued that student antiwar leaders should be “physically liquidated” or “expelled from the country.” 
"Zbigniew Brzezinski wanted Carter to advise the shah to impose martial law. Cyrus Vance counseled democratic reforms. Carter took Brzezinski’s advice, calling the shah with words of encouragement "
"America’s ambassador to Tehran, William Sullivan, tried to get a memo to the president called “Thinking the Unthinkable” that game-planned scenarios for a post-shah Iran. Brzezinski blocked it."
"Brzezinski advised covert aid to the secularists, and that Carter should fear violent backlash from the hapless Islamists should he succor the shah. But at the State Department, Vance warned of “possible dangers to American people” if he took that course; his Iran expert warned that confidence the U.S. could muster any control over Iranian events was hubris—“We simply do not have the bios, inventory of political groups or current picture of daily life as it evolves at various levels in Iran. Ignorance here of Iran’s events is massive.”"