Worthy Christian News > US News > Henry Kissinger, America’s Controversial Statesman, Dies At 100

Henry Kissinger, America’s Controversial Statesman, Dies At 100

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Henry Kissinger, America’s famous and arguably most controversial former secretary of state and national security adviser who advised numerous presidents, has died at the age of 100.

In a statement, Kissinger Associates, a political consulting firm he founded, said the German-born former diplomat died at his home in Connecticut.

A committed practitioner of ‘realism’ in foreign relations, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but roundly condemned as a “war criminal” by his critics.

His shuttle diplomacy helped end the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, and the negotiation of the Paris Peace Accords pulled America out of its long nightmare in Vietnam.

But what his supporters described as “Realpolitik,” his opponents condemned as immoral.

Critics say that in his eight years in power, he “unnecessarily” prolonged the Vietnam War for five years, “ordered” the carpet-bombing of Cambodia and Laos, “provided arms” for Pakistan’s “brutal war in Bangladesh,” gave the green light to Argentina’s “dirty war,” endorsed General Augusto Pinochet’s deadly coup in Chile, “enabled a genocide” in East Timor and “fueled” civil wars in southern African nations.

The estimated death toll for foreign policy follies connected to Kissinger sits between 3 million and 4 million, according to critics. They opinion that 350,000 to 500,000 Cambodians were killed by “American bombs,” most directly connected to him.

BOMBING RAIDS

As secretary of state, Kissinger personally approved thousands of bombing raids in the country while closely overseeing the campaign, according to records of that time.

Cambodia’s government collapsed amid the U.S.’s secret bombing, allowing the strongman Pol Pot to fill the vacuum. His short rule ended with the slaughter and starvation of 1 million more.

“All those deaths came as part of Kissinger’s pursuit of a version of realpolitik that placed U.S. national interest above all other considerations― moral, ideological, political — and that made him an elder statesman, bestselling author, and sought-after confidant for political figures of all partisan persuasions and nationalities over the years,” wrote commentator Paul Blumenthal in the U.S. progressive news website HuffPost.

Born in Germany in 1923, Kissinger first came to the United States in 1938 when his Jewish family fled Nazi Germany.

He became a US citizen in 1943 and served three years in the U.S. Army and later in the Counter Intelligence Corps.

After earning bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees, he taught international relations at Harvard.

In 1969, then-President Richard Nixon appointed him National Security Adviser, which gave him enormous influence over U.S. foreign policy.

DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS

As secretary of state during the Nixon administration – and later under President Gerald Ford – Kissinger led diplomatic efforts towards China, helped negotiate an end to the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and its neighbors, and was instrumental in the Paris Peace Accords that ended the Vietnam War.

Over the years, however, Kissinger was also subject to scathing criticism from those who accused him of rivalry with the Soviet Union over human rights and supporting repressive regimes across the world, including the mentioned Pinochet regime in Chile.

In 1973, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize alongside North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho, who refused to accept. The controversial award led to two members of the Nobel committee resigning.

While Kissinger left government service in 1977, he became a prolific commentator on public affairs. U.S. presidents and lawmakers often sought his counsel.

Kissinger also served on the boards of various companies and was a fixture of foreign policy and security forums, as well as penning 21 books. He once famously questioned how the European Union functions, wondering: “Who should I call?” when an issue needs urgent attention, a Worthy News reporter observed in Budapest.

Kissinger turned 100 years old in May but continued to be active till nearly his last breath in this world, including a surprise visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in July.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, as well as by two children from a previous marriage and five grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced for the man who impacted America’s policies for generations.