Line of the day that nearly made me choke on my waffles
Henry Kissinger, “Team of Heavyweights,” Washington Post, December 5, 2008: The maxim that the national security adviser should act as a traffic cop, not a participant in the policy process, is more theoretical than practical. Really, Henry? Whatever do you base this on? In all fairness, it’s not a bad op-ed, and includes this insightful ...
Henry Kissinger, "Team of Heavyweights," Washington Post, December 5, 2008: The maxim that the national security adviser should act as a traffic cop, not a participant in the policy process, is more theoretical than practical. Really, Henry? Whatever do you base this on? In all fairness, it's not a bad op-ed, and includes this insightful point: "Geopolitical and strategic considerations have no organic constituency. Though a Policy Planning Council exists, its activities are often shunted off into non-operational, semi-academic sideshows or, most frequently, into speechwriting." I'll have more to say about that in the coming year. UPDATE: Swampland's Karen Tumulty offers some further context with regard to Kissinger and Obama.
Henry Kissinger, “Team of Heavyweights,” Washington Post, December 5, 2008:
The maxim that the national security adviser should act as a traffic cop, not a participant in the policy process, is more theoretical than practical.
Really, Henry? Whatever do you base this on? In all fairness, it’s not a bad op-ed, and includes this insightful point: “Geopolitical and strategic considerations have no organic constituency. Though a Policy Planning Council exists, its activities are often shunted off into non-operational, semi-academic sideshows or, most frequently, into speechwriting.” I’ll have more to say about that in the coming year. UPDATE: Swampland’s Karen Tumulty offers some further context with regard to Kissinger and Obama.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
More from Foreign Policy

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.