Dr: Henry Kissinger, who served as the US 56th Secretary of State from September 23, 1973 to January 20, 1977, died on November 29, 2023, after living for a complete century. It is important to keep in mind that from 1969 to 1975 he was holding the charge of another important position i.e. National Security Advisor, as well. He was the first-one in the American history to serve in this ‘double role’ at the same time: NSA plus SoS. Being a committed practitioner of ‘realism’ in foreign relations, he shaped-up the policy of ‘détente’ which thawed relations with the USSR and China. His renowned ‘shuttle diplomacy’ ended the 1973 Arab-Israel war and his epoch-making ‘Paris Peace Talks’ got the US out of its nightmare Vietnam. He was a hard-core believer in ‘real politics’ —-‘engaging with the world based on practical objectives rather than moral ideals’.
Dr; Henry Kissinger was exceptionally hard working since his early days. After arrival from Germany to the US in 1938 as a refugee, he had to do some menial jobs along with his evening classes. When he got the American citizenship in 1943, he was dispatched to Germany for military service which he did with intelligence and bravery. He was later awarded the ‘Bronze Star’ for his time in the Army’s counter-intelligence Unit developing information that led to Gestapo arrests. Upon coming back, he graduated in 1950, Mastered in 1952, and became a Doctor of Philosophy in 1954——all from the prestigious Harvard University. Legend is; that his doctoral dissertation was, and remains, the longest-ever submitted at Harvard. During his time in academia, the diplomat in making, developed and refined his belief in the balance of power, linkage and triangular diplomacy. Latter, he served Harvard as a member of Faculty as well in the ‘Department of Government’.
Dr: Kissinger served as a consultant on Security issues to various US agencies from 1955 onwards, spanning the administrations of Dwight D. Eisenhower, John T. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Dr: Kissinger entered the political arena in 1960, and served as a senior foreign policy advisor to Nelson Rockefeller’s presidential campaigns in 1960, 1964 and 1968. When Richard Nixon became President in on January 20, 1069, Kissinger was appointed the National Security Advisor. The relationship between Nixon and Kissinger grew fast and became abnormally close. Both of them shared an extreme liking for secrecy and conducted a number of ‘backchannel negotiations’ relegating the formal quarters like the State Department to a backseat role. In the process, both the big-Whigs of the American system, who believed in the ‘Realpolitik’ piloted the American foreign policy into the desired direction.
Dr: Henry Kissinger, after winning the confidence of the president, streamlined some of the most complicated issues of the US’s foreign policy. Being a believer ‘in the power of triangulation’ he embarked upon his ‘near-concurrent negotiations with China and the USSR—-connecting the world’s three super powers at a time’. Dr: Kissinger latter remarked that the ‘triangular relationship’ was in itself ‘a form of pressure on each of them, and we carefully maneuvered so we would try to be closer to each of them than we were to each other’. The diplomatic skills were at his best when he was able to achieve the historic ‘détente’ between the US and USSR through the 1972 ‘Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty’ and the’ Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty’, lowering the tensions between the two super-powers. He also initiated back-channel diplomacy with China, in the early seventies, and even visited Peking, through Pakistan’s tacit support. Due to his ‘bold’ initiative the formal diplomatic relations of Washington were established with Peking leading to President Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972. Kissinger’s out-reach to the Soviet Union and China is widely considered as re-shaping of the nature of the ‘Cold War’.
Dr: Kissinger, being a shrewd politician, was able to assess very early that Vietnam War could not be brought to a favorable end in conventional military terms therefore he planned to secure peace through diplomacy. Resultantly, after a 4-year painstaking ‘Paris Peace Talks’, he was able to ink a cease-fire on January 27, 1973 which culminated the American involvement in this lengthy war. At the end of the same year, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with Le Due Tho of North Vietnam for their efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam War. He also played a momentous role in containing the 1973-Arab-Israel War through his ‘Shuttle Diplomacy’. It was in result of his artfulness that ‘Yum Kippur War’ was prevented from spiraling into a global conflict—– Israel being an American ally and Egypt; a close partner of USSR. He also framed a pro-Pakistan policy during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971.
Dr: Kissinger served ‘as a credible force for foreign dignitaries when numerous other stalwarts of Nixon administration were tainted by the Watergate Scandal’. He continued to remain one of the most influential voices on foreign policy issues for a long time even after leaving his formal position. He was bestowed-upon ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ the highest civilian honor (1977) and the ‘Medal of Liberty’ (1986) which was given to 10 of the America’s most important foreign-born leaders. Even after culmination of his stint as the Secretary of State, he continued to remain an advisor and a notable voice on foreign policy. He served as Chairman of ‘National Bipartisan Commission on Central America’ at the request of President Ronald Reagan. He served as a member of the ‘President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board’ during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. He also served as member of ‘Commission on Integrated Long-term Strategy’ in 1980s. More recently, he provided foreign policy advice to then—-President Donald Trump, who praised Kissinger’s ‘immense talent’ after a White House meeting in 2017.
Like all the high-level personalities, Kissinger had his critics as well. Prominent British-born American political philosopher Christopher Hitchens had branded him a ‘war criminal’ and called for his prosecution. He is also alleged for his efforts to support Nixon’s presidential campaign by attempting to sabotage peace talks between the Johnson administration and North Vietnam in the run-up of to the 1968 US elections. Kissinger’s critics also accuse him for advocating the expansion of the Vietnam war through the bombardment on the non-combatant Cambodia. He is also held responsible for supporting certain anti-democratic activities and political killings by right-wing Latten American regimes. He is also held responsible for certain atrocities committed by Pakistan’s government in 1971 operation against the Bengali insurgents and for the depredations of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975.
Dr: Kissinger was a great intellectual and prolific writer as well who penned almost 31 very valuable books. His most popular works may be ‘World Order’, ‘Diplomacy’, ‘On China’, ‘The White House Years’, ‘Years of Renewal’, ‘Years of Upheaval’, ‘A World Restore’ and ‘The White House Years’. Undoubtedly, he was a foreign policy expert par excellence ‘who built a glittering career’ during the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon (1969-1974) and Gerald Ford (1974-1976), leaving a deep imprint on history.
