That’s why you should know him: this famous political heavyweight is 100 years old

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To this day, opinions are divided about Henry Kissinger. To some, the former US Secretary of State with his Frankish-tinged English is one of the most brilliant strategic minds of the 20th century.

Others see Kissinger as a cynical power tactic that nefariously pushed US interests while ignoring human rights. Admirers and critics agree that the diplomatic legend, born in Fürth and turning 100 on Saturday, has had a huge influence on international politics.

No German émigré has made it as far in American politics as Kissinger. Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923 in Fürth to a Jewish family of teachers. In 1938, the Kissingers fled Nazi persecution to the US, Heinz became Henry, and in 1943 they were naturalized in their new homeland. Kissinger returned to Germany as an American soldier during World War II and helped track down Nazi accomplices, among other things.

“Hate and Worship, Rejection and Awe”

Service in the United States Army was followed by a brilliant 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.

When Republican Richard Nixon (1913-1994) entered the White House as president in 1969, he appointed Kissinger his national security adviser and in 1973 also secretary of state. Kissinger became the embodiment of the Realpolitiker, who was practically not guided by ideology or moral concepts – for better or for worse. Instead, he was driven by maintaining US influence, but also maintaining a global balance of power.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Kissinger pushed for the easing of relations with the arch-rival Soviet Union and was instrumental in the creation of the arms control treaty SALT I in 1972. He also initiated a tentative rapprochement with Communist-ruled China. Kissinger is also known for his “shuttle diplomacy” in the Middle East conflict, brokering a large number of trips.

In 1973, together with the North Vietnamese chief negotiator Le Duc Tho (1911-1990), he even received the Nobel Peace Prize for a ceasefire agreement 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.

Shared responsibility for coup d’état, carnage ignored

Because as much as he advocated a policy of detente with opponents as a pragmatist, he was just as quick to throw humanitarian and democratic principles overboard in order to achieve political goals. In the Vietnam War, for example, he not only negotiated with the enemy, but also promoted the bombing of the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia, because these weapons reached North Vietnam.

Even outside of the Vietnam War, the list of allegations against the ex-diplomat is long. Kissinger has been sharply criticized for being partly responsible for the 1973 coup in Chile, when the US helped far-right military general Pinochet overthrow an elected socialist government and establish a regime of terror. Similarly, Kissinger ignored the massacres committed by Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh War and approved Indonesia’s bloody invasion of East Timor in 1975.

“Painfully Amoral”

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

Such tones are quite unusual for men. Even Nixon’s successor Gerald Ford (1913-2006), who was also Kissinger’s secretary of state until 1977, was annoyed by his dogmatism: “Henry is convinced that he has never made a mistake,” says Ford.

Popular and influential consultant

When Ford lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter (98), Kissinger’s ministerial career was over. In the decades that followed, the strategist with the trademark gnarly bass voice remained a sought-after and influential consultant in Washington. His word carries weight to this day. As an author, even at an advanced age, he deals 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 claimed in an interview with “Zeit” that not “all the blame” lies with Russian President Vladimir Putin (70). An ultra-realist and power politician, he was critical of Ukraine’s rapprochement with the West – whether or not it was Ukraine’s right to self-determination: “This was the beginning of 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.

Such analyzes won Henry Kissinger many admirers, but also many embittered detractors. “Controversial opinions about Kissinger emerged even long after his tenure ended,” says his biographer Walter Isaacson. “Hate and adoration, rejection and awe, there isn’t much neutral territory in between.” (AFP/jmh)

Source: Blick