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Ep 245: Edward Luce on Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Twentieth Century
School of WarNov 7, 2025
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Edward Luce, U.S. national editor and columnist at the Financial Times and author of Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet,joins the show to discuss one of the most interesting characters of the Cold War, Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.

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Times

00:00 The Life and Legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski

02:55 Carter's Foreign Policy and Brzezinski's Influence

05:56 Contrasting Worldviews: Brzezinski vs. Kissinger

08:52 The Formative Years: War and Identity

11:35 The Cold War Landscape and Brzezinski's Rise

14:34 Order vs. Justice: Diverging Philosophies

17:55 Brzezinski's Strategic Vision for the Cold War

20:57 The Vietnam War and Its Impact on Brzezinski

23:47 Brzezinski's Approach to Foreign Policy

28:35 The Rise of Jimmy Carter and the Trilateral Commission

32:12 Carter's Foreign Policy Challenges: The Middle East and Iran

37:15 Human Rights and the Shift from Nixon to Carter

45:27 Reagan's Continuity and Change: A New Era in Foreign Policy

51:19 The Iranian Revolution and Brzezinski's Legacy


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Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack