The diplomat played a prominent role in the foreign policy of the United States in the second half of the twentieth century. He has been praised and vilified ever since.
For example, in the 1970s he was involved in many of the decade’s seminal global events while serving as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under Republican President Richard Nixon (1969–1974): during that period he successfully negotiated the departure of the US military from Vietnam. He would even receive the most controversial Nobel Peace Prize ever for it.
‘War criminal’
His 1973 Peace Prize, jointly awarded to Kissinger and his counterpart Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam – who refused it – was one of the most controversial ever: two members of the Nobel Committee resigned over Kissinger’s selection. They were critical of the American secret bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
While many praised Kissinger for his genius and vast experience, others labeled him a war criminal for his support of bloodthirsty anti-communist dictatorships, especially in Latin America. In his final years, his travels were limited by attempts by other countries to arrest him or interrogate him about past American foreign policy.
Kissinger, born in Germany in 1923, came from an Orthodox Jewish family and escaped Nazi persecution in 1938 by fleeing to the US. There he adopted a new first name – Heinz Alfred became Henry Alfred – and went to work in the American army, which could put his knowledge of Germany to good use. He became an American citizen, studied at Harvard and later taught there.
Shortly after Nixon won the presidency, he was hired by the president as national security advisor. The Watergate scandal weakened Nixon, which increased Kissinger’s influence. The diplomat’s efforts led to building a diplomatic relationship with communist China, groundbreaking arms control talks between the US and the Soviet Union, and improved ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
‘Dear foreign minister’
Kissinger’s position as the chief architect of American foreign policy declined with Nixon’s resignation in 1974. He remained as Secretary of State and Security Advisor under Republican President Gerald Ford (1974 – 1977), but had less influence during his administration. Yet Ford awarded him the presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, a very high award. At the time, Ford called him “the best secretary of state in the history of our republic.”
After his career as a government official, Kissinger founded an influential consulting firm in New York, whose clients included members of the global business elite. He held various administrative positions in foreign policy and security, wrote books and became a regular media commentator on international affairs.
9/11
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Republican President George W. Bush chose Kissinger to head an investigative commission. But outrage from Democrats who saw a conflict of interest with many of his consulting firm’s clients forced Kissinger to resign from office at the time.
Kissinger was active beyond his 100th birthday, attending meetings at the White House, publishing a book on leadership styles and testifying before a Senate committee on North Korea’s nuclear threat. In July 2023, he made another surprise visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
