During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was the United States’ principal diplomat and national security advisor. Henry Kissinger left government in the middle of the 1970s, but generations of politicians continued to consult him for decades afterward.
The Connecticut-based former diplomat, who was born in Germany, has away. Leading the condolences was the former US President George W. Bush, who declared that the country had “lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs”. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders
Tony Blair, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, called Kissinger an artist of diplomacy and stated that his motivation sprang from “a genuine love of the free world and the need to protect it”.
Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, the daughters of President Richard Nixon, praised Henry Kissinger’s life narrative as “so unique – and so thoroughly American”.
“Henry Kissinger will long be remembered for his many achievements in advancing the cause of peace,” said the statement. “But it was his character that we will never forget.” The son of a school teacher was born in Germany in 1923, but he and his family managed to flee the Nazis in 1938, which is when he arrived in the US. His accent from his home Bavaria never really left. After obtaining US citizenship in 1943, he served in the US Army for three years before joining the Counter Intelligence Corps. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100
A Diplomat Beyond Borders
Henry Kissinger taught international relations at Harvard after obtaining a PhD, a master’s degree, and a bachelor’s degree. He was named national security advisor by then-President Nixon in 1969, a post that gave him significant influence over US foreign policy.
Serving as both the national security adviser and the secretary of state for eight years, from 1969 to 1977, he stopped hostilities between Israel and Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, reestablished diplomatic links with China, and supervised the US’s eventual exit from the Vietnam War. The entire notion of shuttle diplomacy sprang from this initiative. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, praised Kissinger’s role in the peace deal with Egypt on social media, writing that “the entire family of nations is blessed to this day by the fruits of the historic processes he led.” Israel and Hamas are at war at the moment.
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News of Kissinger’s passing quickly became popular on the social media site Weibo in China, where he had long-lasting fame. He was described as “an old friend of the Chinese people” in the obituary published by China News. He was referred to as “a legendary diplomat” and a “living fossil” by China Central Television for his significant contribution to US-China ties.
But over time, Kissinger also faced harsh criticism from individuals who said he supported oppressive governments all around the world, such as Augusto Pinochet’s in Chile, and prioritized his competition with the Soviet Union over respect for human rights. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders
Even after death, resentment over a number of his policies—including those pertaining to Argentina and Cambodia—persisted. The headlines “Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies” appeared in Rolling Stone’s obituary, while the left-leaning Huffpost splashed “The Beltway Butcher” over a picture of him on its top page.
Henry Kissinger, though, dismissed criticism with contempt.
“That’s a reflection of their ignorance,” the statesman with a gravelly voice told CBS just before he turned 100 years old. Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam was also given a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, but he declined to accept it. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders
Two Nobel committee members resigned as a result of the award.
Even after leaving the administration in 1977, Kissinger remained a frequent public affairs pundit. Twelve US presidents, ranging from John F. Kennedy to Joe Biden, as well as legislators, sought his advice. Interestingly, Kissinger is the only American to have had direct dealings with every Chinese leader, ranging from Xi Jinping to Mao Zedong. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders
In addition to writing 21 books, he was a regular in foreign policy and security forums and on the boards of several businesses. Despite a deterioration in US-China ties, Kissinger continued to lead an active life much past the age of 100. In July of this year, he made an unexpected trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the elderly statesman was warmly received.
The National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, expressed frustration about the visit to the Chinese officials, saying that “it’s unfortunate that a private citizen” got access to them but the US government did not. When Kissinger was 99 years old in July 2022, he was asked if he would go back and change any of his judgments during an interview with ABC while on a book tour. Unveiling the Legacy of Henry Kissinger At Age of 100: A Diplomat Beyond Borders