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Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, passes away at 100

Henry Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923, but he didn’t come to the US until 1938, when he and his family fled the Nazis.

Henry Kissinger, a former US Secretary of State, passes away at age 100.

The former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, died at the age of 100.

Kissinger was majorly seen as polarizing but important figure in US foreign policy during the Cold War.

The Connecticut-based former diplomat, who was born in Germany, passed away at the age of 100.

During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was the United States’ principal diplomat and national security advisor.

He left government in the middle of the 1970s, but generations of leaders continued to consult him for decades afterwards.

He came under heavy fire from those who said he supported oppressive regimes all over the world, including Augusto Pinochet’s in Chile, and put his rivalry with the Soviet Union before human rights.

Because of his Realpolitik approach, Kissinger became a controversial figure; during their bombing campaign in Cambodia alongside President Richard Nixon, some even accused him of war crimes.

Leading the series of tributes former US President George W. Bush, said that the country had lost one of the most reliable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs.

Kissinger was driven by “a genuine love of the free world and the need to protect it,” according to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who referred to him as an ‘artist of diplomacy’.

“Henry Kissinger will be missed for his many achievements. One of them is propagating peace, he further adds.

Henry Kissinger– A peep into his life

Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923, but he didn’t come to the US until 1938, when he and his family fled the Nazis.

After obtaining US citizenship in 1943, he served in the US Army for three years before joining the Counter Intelligence Corps.

After gaining master’s degrees and a PhD, he taught international relations at Harvard University . He was appointed national security adviser by then-President Nixon in 1969, a post that gave him significant influence over US foreign policy.

During his eight years as secretary of state and national security adviser (1969–1977), the United States of America ultimately withdrew from the Vietnam War. Additionally, it led to the normalization of relations with China and the end of hostilities between Israel and Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 in the Middle East.

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 China News’ obituary, and China Central Television referred to him as “a legendary diplomat” who had significantly influenced US-China relations.

Henry KissingerIn Vietnam and Cambodia

Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger

In an attempt to starve the communists soldiers and supplies, Kissinger approved a campaign that resulted in the dropping of over two million tons of bombs on Cambodia, a neutral nation, as well as the deployment of thousands of ground troops. This campaign was approved while negotiations were ongoing with North Vietnam taking life of 50,000 civilians,millions displaced.

These actions draw sharp criticism even after death. Rolling stone says-“Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies”. Henry Kissinger together with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam, who declined to accept,was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for brokering the Paris Peace Accords, which put an end to US involvement in the Vietnam War.

Despite a deterioration in US-China relations, Kissinger continued to lead an active life well 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.

Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, his wife of almost 50 years, two children from a previous marriage, Elizabeth and David, as well as five grandchildren, survive him.

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