The death of Henry Kissinger, a giant of American diplomacy, despite the controversy

Published in: 30/11/2023 – 08:15Last updated: 30/11/2023 – 08:14

4 minutes

The consulting firm said in a statement that Kissinger, whose approach sparked great controversy and played a pivotal diplomatic role during the Cold War, “died today at his home in Connecticut.”

The statement did not specify the cause of Kissinger’s death, who was known for his small build, hoarse voice, and strong German accent.

His family will organize a private burial ceremony, and a public honoring ceremony will be held later in New York.

Former US President George W. Bush, a Republican like him, said: “With his death, the United States lost one of its most solid and respected voices on foreign policy.”

Kissinger set in motion the rapprochement between Washington and Moscow and Beijing in the 1970s.

But dark moments in the history of the United States stained his image, such as his role in supporting the 1973 coup in Chile and the invasion of East Timor in 1975, as well as the Vietnam War.

In Beijing in July

His sense of “realpolitik” and his cold calculations of American national interests derived from US influence exposed him to severe criticism across the world.

His words had a great impact, but controversy haunted him. He liked to present his ideas to journalists and during international forums.

He attracted attendees with his continuity and extensive experience. Some considered him wise, while others hated him and considered him a war criminal.

But the speech of Kissinger, who turned 100 in May, continued to be heard by the world’s leaders, long decades after he left his official duties.

Until his death, Kissinger remained active on the international political scene, and his advanced age did not prevent him from traveling and meeting with many world leaders, the most recent of whom was Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he met last July in China. Xi praised him at the time, saying he was a “legendary diplomat.”

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Shi Feng described Kissinger’s death as a “great loss.” The Chinese diplomat wrote on the X platform, “I am very sad” about the death of the architect of the rapprochement between Washington and Beijing in the 1970s.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praised Kissinger’s “valuable contributions to peace and stability” in Asia and “particularly the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and China.”

Convergence

China has a special place in Kissinger’s career. He played a major role in breaking the ice in US relations with China during the era of Mao Zedong through secret visits that paved the way for Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing in 1972.

This outstretched hand policy put an end to the isolation of the Asian giant and contributed to the emergence of Beijing as an economic power first on the international scene.

Among his major contributions was that he also carried out, in complete secrecy, and in parallel with the bombing of Hanoi, negotiations to put an end to the Vietnam War.

Henry Kissinger is also known for his role as a mediator between Israel and the Arab countries. In 1973, after the sudden attack by Arab countries on Israel, he organized a major airlift to supply weapons to the Israeli ally.

Nobel prize

Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born into a Jewish family in Germany in 1923. He fled Nazi Germany and obtained American citizenship at the age of twenty. He joined the army’s counterintelligence unit before continuing his studies at the prestigious Harvard University, where he also studied.

Kissinger was famous for his thick black glasses and imposed himself as an image of global diplomacy when Republican Richard Nixon appointed him National Security Advisor in 1969 and then Secretary of State. He held both positions from 1973 to 1975 and printed contracts for American diplomacy, even after he left his position as Secretary of State.

Despite Nixon’s resignation in 1974 due to the Watergate scandal, Kissinger remained in his position as Secretary of State under his successor, Gerald Ford, until 1977.

In 1973, in recognition of his peaceful efforts during the Vietnam War, he won the Nobel Peace Prize, shared with the Vietnamese Le Duc Tho, after reaching a ceasefire within the framework of the conflict.

This option sparked great controversy, and Duc Tho rejected the award, considering that the negotiated truce was not respected, while Kissinger did not go to Oslo for fear of opposition demonstrations.

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© 2023 AFP