American Cold War era diplomat Henry Kissinger passes away at the age of 100.
At the age of 100, Henry Kissinger, the preeminent U.S. diplomat during the Cold War, passed away. Despite being reviled by human rights critics, he assisted Washington in opening up to China, negotiating arms control agreements with the Soviet Union, and ending the Vietnam War.
American Cold War-era diplomat Henry Kissinger passed away at the age of 100. His geopolitical consulting firm, Kissinger Associates Inc., reported that Kissinger, a German-born Jewish refugee whose career spanned academia and diplomacy and who remained an active voice in foreign policy into his later years, passed away at his Connecticut residence on Wednesday.
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During the 1970s, in the midst of the Cold War, when he was the national security adviser and secretary of state under Republican President Richard Nixon, Kissinger was at the pinnacle of his abilities.
Following his withdrawal from office in 1974 amid the Watergate controversy, Nixon maintained his prominence on the international stage during his tenure as secretary of state under his successor, President Gerald Ford.
He formulated the strategic plans for the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam, expanded diplomatic relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the historic arms control negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Amidst widespread acclaim for his astuteness and diplomatic prowess, Kissinger was labeled a war criminal by some due to his backing of anti-communist dictatorships, particularly in Latin America. During his later years, his travels were restricted due to interception attempts or interrogations by certain nations regarding previous U.S. foreign policy decisions.
The 1973 Peace Prize he was awarded for ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was among the most contentious ever. Concerning the Nobel committee’s selection process, two individuals tendered their resignations in response to inquiries regarding the clandestine United States bombardment of Cambodia. Le Duc Tho, a diplomat from North Vietnam who was invited to accept the award, deferred.
