Former US Secretary of State: Henry Kissinger dies at age 100

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Henry Kissinger (†100) has passed away. The former US Secretary of State died at his home in the US state of Connecticut. This was announced by his consulting firm Kissinger Associates Inc. The cause of death was not revealed.

No German émigré had come as far in American politics as Kissinger. Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on May 27, 1927 in Fürth into a Jewish teaching family. In 1938 the Kissingers fled Nazi persecution to the US, Heinz became Henry and naturalization in their new homeland followed in 1943. As an American soldier, Kissinger returned to Germany during the Second World War and, among other things, helped track down Nazi accomplices.

His time in the US Army was followed by an illustrious academic career at Harvard University. The political scientist attracted attention with his analyzes of defense strategy and nuclear weapons and began advising the US government.

Controversial opinions

When Republican Richard Nixon entered the White House as president in 1969, he appointed Kissinger his national security adviser and, in 1973, secretary of state. Kissinger became the epitome of the realpolitiker. He was driven by maintaining influence and balancing the global balance of power. His work won him many admirers, but also many bitter opponents.

“Even long after the end of his term, Kissinger generated controversial opinions,” says his biographer Walter Isaacson. “Hate and adoration, rejection and awe, there isn’t much neutral territory in between.”

Kissinger pushed for a softening of relations with the archrival Soviet Union and was significantly involved in the creation of the SALT I arms control treaty in 1972. He also initiated a cautious rapprochement with communist-ruled China. Kissinger is also known for his “shuttle diplomacy” in the Middle East conflict, mediating numerous trips.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

In 1973, he received the Nobel Peace Prize together with North Vietnamese chief negotiator Le Duc Tho for a ceasefire in the Vietnam War. But it is one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the award: Tho refused the honor because the war continued despite the agreement. Kissinger himself later wanted to return the prize.

In any case, Kissinger was criticized for his role in the Vietnam War, including with regard to the bombing of neighboring countries Laos and Cambodia. Even beyond the Vietnam War, the list of accusations against the once powerful diplomat was long. Kissinger was sharply criticized for shared US responsibility for Pinochet’s 1973 coup in Chile. He ignored the massacres committed by Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh war and approved Indonesia’s bloody invasion of East Timor in 1975.

“At times he seemed painfully amoral,” writes biographer Isaacson. Critics even called Kissinger a war criminal. The normally confident Kissinger later admitted that no one could say he had worked in a government that had made no mistakes

Ford was annoyed by his bossiness

But such sounds are quite unusual. Even Nixon’s successor Gerald Ford, for whom Kissinger also served as Secretary of State until 1977, was annoyed by his bossiness: “Henry is convinced that he has never made a mistake,” said Ford.

When Ford lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter, Kissinger’s ministerial career was over. However, the strategist with the characteristic, growling bass voice remained a sought-after and influential advisor in Washington in the decades that followed. As an author, even in his old age, he dealt with topics such as world politics and diplomacy, but also with the challenges of artificial intelligence.

He also commented on the war in Ukraine – and recently said in an interview with “Zeit” that not “all the blame” lies with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As early as 2014, he expressed “serious doubts about the plan to invite Ukraine to join NATO,” Kissinger said. “This began a series of events that culminated in the war.”

But now it would be better for the West to “admit Ukraine to NATO,” the diplomatic legend added. An advice that would be particularly welcome in Kiev. (AFP/neo)

Source: Blick