Henry Kissinger, the Harvard professor who became a towering U.S. diplomat, master political manipulator and pop culture icon — loved by admirers and loathed by detractors — has died. He was 100. Kissinger died on Wednesday at his home in Connecticut, according to Kissinger Associates.
Nixon Administration Successes
As President Richard Nixon’s top foreign policy aide, Kissinger helped set out the nation’s grand international strategy of extricating itself from an unpopular war and plotting its relations with two rival communist powers. In Nixon’s second term, Kissinger had to navigate against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal that engulfed his commander in chief’s attention and eventually forced the president out. All the while, he fiercely defended his own political turf.
Kissinger negotiated America’s exit from the disastrous Vietnam War, sharing the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize with North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho for a cease-fire agreement that year. Nearly two years later, Nixon’s self-described “peace with honor” collapsed with the fall of Saigon to the Viet Cong during the administration of President Gerald Ford. Kissinger also crafted the détente policy that thawed the Cold War with the Soviet Union and broke down the diplomatic great wall that surrounded Communist China for 2½ decades. Through his shuttle diplomacy, he wrung out agreements between Israel and Egypt and Syria in the wake of the Arab countries’ surprise launch of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Legacy and Controversies
After Nixon’s resignation, Kissinger drew widespread criticism for his support of brutal regimes accused of human rights abuses, including those in Chile and Pakistan. He was confirmed as Nixon’s secretary of State in September 1973, and later completed his term under President Gerald Ford until 1977.
Views on Kissinger’s Legacy
Kissinger’s complicated career and legacy have been debated over the years. While some regarded him as a double-dealing deceiver, others saw him as an idealist who followed a vision of Kant rather than the realpolitik of Clausewitz or Bismarck. Kissinger kept up with geopolitics even late in his life, as demonstrated by his suggestions in May 2022 related to Ukraine and Russia. He later emphasized the importance of avoiding an escalation of conflict between Russia and the West.
Flight from the Holocaust and Academic Achievements
Born in Fuert, Germany, in 1923, Kissinger survived the horror of the Holocaust, fleeing Nazi Germany to New York in 1938. After fighting against Nazi Germany with the U.S. Army, he turned to history and the field of strategic studies, securing a Ph.D. at Harvard and joining the faculty of the school of government in 1954. Throughout his Harvard years, Kissinger published books and led seminars.
After his academic career, Kissinger kept up with world events and drew criticism for his stance on Ukraine and Russia in May 2022. Despite the controversies, his legacy has been the subject of discussion with many praising his work while others have criticized his policies and actions. Henry Kissinger has been considered a highly complex and influential figure in U.S. politics and international affairs.
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