As a child, Henry Kissinger and his family fled to the USA to escape the Nazis. There the man from Fürth becomes foreign minister. He is considered one of the most important diplomats of the last century.
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is dead. The German-American died on Wednesday at the age of 100 in his home in the state of Connecticut, as a spokeswoman for the communications agency Edelman, which represents his consulting firm Kissinger Associates, told the German Press Agency late in the evening ( local time) confirmed.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was a colorful figure in US politics, his specialty was secret diplomacy. He is considered one of the greatest diplomats of the 20th century. One of his greatest successes was the US’s rapprochement with China in the early 1970s. But Kissinger’s career also had dark sides. Critics accused him of unscrupulousness and an obsession with power.
Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born in Franconia in 1923. He was 15 years old when his Jewish parents fled with him to New York. Kissinger never lost sight of his German roots and visited his hometown of Fürth several times. His rise is reminiscent of the idea of the American dream: After school and military service, Kissinger studied at Harvard; later he taught there. In 1969, then-President Richard Nixon appointed him security adviser and later secretary of state. When it came to foreign policy, he was the most influential politician in Washington.
Diplomatic milestone: Henry Kissinger on a secret mission to Beijing
A significant milestone in his career was the preparation of Nixon’s trip to China. Kissinger traveled to Beijing on a secret mission, paving the way for a visit by Nixon and the normalization of the relationship. Kissinger became the celebrated architect of the US-China rapprochement. His diplomatic successes did not end there. Kissinger negotiated disarmament treaties and peace agreements and became a media star.
Critics, on the other hand, see the foreign politician as a pure power politician. The role he played in the secret bombing of Cambodia is more than questionable. The allegations about his role in the 1973 military coup in Chile are also serious. Kissinger also had to face the question again and again as to whether he really pushed for an end to the Vietnam War and whether he unnecessarily prolonged it in order to increase Nixon’s election chances.
Even after his time in Washington, Kissinger continued to interfere in world politics – for example, advising then President George W. Bush. Even in old age, he continued to comment on international topics in interviews and as a speaker. He didn’t go one step towards accommodating his critics.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
