Your thoughts about Henry Kissinger very likely mirror what you think foreign policy is and does. The Nixon-era secretary of state died Wednesday, leaving a legacy as one of the preeminent diplomats of modern times. But that legacy is controversial, to say the least. 

Is foreign policy a zero-sum game of bare-knuckle self-interest? Mr. Kissinger was an archetype of this realpolitik – winning rock-star status as “Super-K” but also vehement detractors. It’s not often a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is also accused of abetting war crimes. Our review of a recent biography gives a nuanced portrait of the man.