On Kissinger's death: foreign politician, tough man of power
Some admired him, others despised him: Henry Kissinger was perhaps the most famous diplomat in the history of the USA. Even in his old age, the German-American expressed his views on various international issues. He only celebrated his 100th birthday in May and received congratulations from all over the world.
However, the former US Secretary of State was a controversial figure.
While some praised him as a brilliant real politician with negotiating skills, others saw him as an unscrupulous man of power - even a war criminal. Now Kissinger, who was born Heinz Alfred in Fürth in central Franconia, died on Wednesday.
Mentally fit to the end
In the last years of his life, Kissinger was hard of hearing and blind in one eye. He had to undergo several heart operations. But he was mentally fit to the end - even if he formulated his thoughts slowly and sometimes with difficulty. Whether it was the war in Ukraine or the tensions between Taiwan and China, he confidently intervened in debates on international politics. When asked by a TV journalist whether China's President Xi Jinping would pick up the phone if Kissinger called, he said shortly before his 100th birthday: "There's a good chance he'll take my call." He was right. He was right. A few months later, in July, the 100-year-old Kissinger actually flew to Beijing again and met Xi there.
Kissinger also traveled to Germany recently: in June, he celebrated his 100th birthday in his Franconian hometown with high-ranking guests from politics and diplomacy - and a children's team from his favourite club, Spvgg Greuther Fürth.
A quiet boy
Kissinger was the son of a German-Jewish couple. In 1938, the family fled from the Nazis to the USA. Kissinger then grew up in New York - initially unable to speak English. It is said that he was so shy as a teenager that he barely spoke. This could explain why Kissinger had a strong German accent throughout his life. Unlike in Germany, however, he once said that he did not feel discriminated against as a Jew in the USA. Kissinger was drafted into military service after becoming a US citizen in 1943, fought in the Ardennes and then worked for US counterintelligence in Germany.
After his return, he studied political science at the elite Harvard University with the help of scholarships and received his doctorate in 1954. In the years that followed, he taught at the university and made a name for himself as a specialist in international politics. In 1969, Republican President Richard Nixon brought him into the White House as Security Advisor. He later also became Secretary of State - and remained at least the latter under Nixon's successor Gerald Ford. Kissinger coined the so-called shuttle diplomacy - traveling back and forth between capitals and negotiating between conflicting parties. As Secretary of State, he was something of a celebrity, known for his power-consciousness and his womanizing.
Foreign policy genius or power politician without morals?
Kissinger has many successes to his name. He sought détente with an isolated China and the Soviet Union, brought peace to the Middle East and worked towards disarmament. He arranged the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) in secret talks in the former USSR. During a secret trip to Beijing, he organized the first visit by a sitting US president to the People's Republic. Nixon traveled to China in 1972 and met with party leader Mao Zedong. Kissinger also negotiated the end of the Yom Kippur War between the Arab states and Israel in 1973/74. These are impressive achievements. Many still regard Kissinger as a foreign policy genius - a figure of the century.
But that is only one side of the story. Critics see him as a power politician without morals, who also supported dictatorships - as long as it served his interests. The accusation is that the end justified the means. At the time, he was seen as increasingly autocratic and closed-minded. In an interview from 1972, he compared himself to a cowboy who rode ahead alone and led the column.
Wars and crises
In addition to his foreign policy successes, there is a whole list of wars and crises in which Kissinger played at least a dubious role. Firstly, there is the Vietnam War: Kissinger is said to have prevented an imminent peace agreement in 1968 in order to help Nixon win the election. In 1973, his years of secret negotiations with the North Vietnamese negotiator Le Duc Tho finally resulted in a peace treaty. Both were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - although the war continued until 1975. Kissinger accepted the prize, Le Duc Tho did not.
Kissinger was heavily criticized for his role in the secret bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. He is said to have authorized the bombings and kept them secret from the public. The attacks are estimated to have cost the lives of at least 150,000 people. Opponents also accuse him of having destabilized the country as a result of his actions and of having helped the Khmer Rouge come to power in the country in South East Asia.
Supporting Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975 is also a dark spot in Kissinger's foreign policy career. Together with the US secret service CIA, Kissinger is also said to have been involved in General Augusto Pinochet's bloody coup against Chile's elected socialist president Salvador Allende in 1973. Kissinger received subpoenas from courts in various countries, but never appeared. He has always denied the accusations against him - at least publicly, he was not aware of any guilt. In a TV interview on his 100th birthday, he portrayed the younger generation who condemned him as ignorant.
After Nixon's resignation, Kissinger remained Secretary of State - he then left the political stage after Democratic President Jimmy Carter took office in 1977. But for Kissinger, retiring from active politics did not mean withdrawing from the public eye. He founded a consultancy firm, wrote several books and, despite his advanced age, was a sought-after speaker on foreign policy until his death.
The US government relied heavily on Kissinger's diplomatic skills during times of international turmoil. His involvement in various conflicts, such as the Vietnam War and the conflict in the Middle East, remains a subject of debate among the people.
Henry Kissinger's diplomatic career extended beyond government service, as he continued to offer his insights on global issues through his lectures and writings, even in his elderly years.
Source: www.dpa.com
