NOS News•
-
Dick Jansen
foreign editor
-
Dick Jansen
foreign editor
Was he a brilliant diplomat who, like a political rock star, manipulated world leaders? Or was he an unscrupulous manipulator who did not shy away from covert bombing of Laos and Cambodia in order to make North Vietnam more accommodative in peace talks?
It underlines: there are many opinions to be formed about the American politician and diplomat Henry Kissinger, who turned 100 today. As National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, he served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford during the height of the Cold War.
After his ministry, Kissinger remained active on the world stage. Through his consulting firm Kissinger Associates, he continues to advise governments and corporations worldwide. In addition, he is a recurring guest in the media and at meetings, such as at the World Economic Forum.
Last year, for example, he warned in Davos not to completely corner Russia. He also said that he would consider it appropriate for peace talks to take place in which parts of Ukraine remain part of Russia. It is anything but a popular message in the West, and especially in Ukraine, but it can still be ruled out as a future scenario.
Chess master
Everyone agrees that the German-Jewish Heinz Alfred Kissinger was the most influential and influential US Secretary of State and diplomat of the past century. He was born in 1923 in Fürth, Germany. Fifteen years later, he fled with his parents to the United States, away from Nazism.
Kissinger made history by secretly traveling to China in 1971 to prepare for a visit by President Nixon. He spoke to Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders about strengthening ties and welcoming China into international fora, such as the United Nations.
Seven months later, Nixon traveled to China in front of the world, proving that the communist friendship between China and Russia was less close than expected.
Kissinger invariably played chess on multiple boards. He maintained close contact with the Russian ambassador in Washington. He confided—unbeknownst to Nixon—that the United States was planning to withdraw from the much-criticized Vietnam War. He also told him that America would be content with the continued presence of the communist Vietcong in South Vietnam. The war had become unsustainable, according to Kissinger.
Two years later, in early 1973, it was agreed in Paris that the war would be ‘Vietnamized’; America would withdraw. An honorable peace, Nixon said, to mask failure. South Vietnam received only material support from America. In 1975 Saigon fell and the world saw the dramatic images of helicopters evacuating the last Americans from the roof of the US embassy.
-
AFP
Kissinger in 1973 during a meeting with Mao -
EPA
Kissinger in 2020 with former German Chancellor Merkel -
AFP
Kissinger in 2006 with Russian President Putin -
AFP
Kissinger (left) confers with President Nixon (center) and General Haig about the Vietnam War at Camp David in 1972
A common thread in Kissinger’s career is the so-called realpolitik, or a pragmatic form of politics. Kissinger was – and is – averse to ideology. Serving American interests as best as possible in a world order with a multipolar balance of power was most important to him. He knew how to play off parties against each other like no other.
For example, the American rapprochement with China did not lead to a hardening of relations with Moscow, as might have been expected. Shortly after his meeting with Mao, Nixon also traveled to Moscow to negotiate the first SALT agreement, which provided for the reduction of strategic nuclear armaments. Kissinger was thus the architect of the ‘detente’ (period of relaxation) in the Cold War.
In 1973, Kissinger and North Vietnamese negotiator Le Duc Tho were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. That award was controversial. Kissinger did not pick up the prize. He donated the money to a charitable organization for children of fallen Americans. Le Duc Tho refused the prize, as there was still no peace in Vietnam.
Shadow side
Kissinger’s realpolitik led to great diplomatic success, with laudatory publications and covers on magazines such as Time and Newsweek. But there was also a significant dark side. Because although the Cold War led to a detente partly due to Kissinger’s actions, it remained unstable, especially in South America, Africa and Asia.
For example, in 1973 the elected president and socialist Salvador Allende of Chile was driven out and assassinated with American support, to be succeeded by dictator Pinochet. In addition, Kissinger supported the government of Indonesia in the bloody suppression of the independence struggle in East Timor, the brutal crackdown of the Pakistani army in East Pakistan and an uprising that led to an independent Bangladesh at the cost of one million victims.
Kissinger’s support for bombing in Cambodia, according to his critics, led the population to gradually embrace Khmer Rouge rule, eventually leading to genocide.
Not welcome everywhere
Kissinger still makes his voice heard on the world stage. For example, he recently warned on various platforms about the dangers of a new arms race with unregulated artificial intelligence.
He was also recently a guest on a news show on the American channel CBS. When asked, he replied that Chinese President Xi Jinping would likely answer the phone personally if a Kissinger associate called Beijing. “And Putin?” asked the presenter. “Probably.”
Watch the excerpt here:
Incidentally, Kissinger is no longer welcome everywhere. He can no longer travel to countries such as Chile, Argentina and Spain, where judges are asking for his arrest and testimony on behalf of the relatives of victims of US support for military regimes.
2023-05-27 04:31:55
#Unscrupulous #manipulator #brilliant #diplomat #Henry #Kissinger #years
