Henry Kissinger, American diplomat, Nobel prize winner, political scientist, and politician, who served as United States secretary of state and national security advisor, has died at the age of 100.
A statement from Kissinger’s geopolitical consulting firm, Kissinger Associates Inc., said the diplomat died at his home in Connecticut.
No mention was made of the circumstances.
Born on 27 May, 1923, Kissinger, a geopolitical consultant served as United States secretary of state and national security advisor under the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Kissinger was a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany with his family in 1938. In the United States, he excelled academically and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1950, where he studied under William Yandell Elliott.
He earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy at Harvard University in 1951 and 1954, respectively.
Kissinger played a prominent role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977, pioneering the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrating an opening of relations with the People’s Republic of China, engaging in what became known as shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiating the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War.
After leaving government, he formed Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm. Kissinger wrote over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations.
Kissinger’s legacy is a polarizing subject in American politics. He has been widely considered by scholars to be an effective Secretary of State and condemned for turning a blind eye to war crimes committed by American allies due to his support of a pragmatic approach to politics called Realpolitik.
For his actions negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam, Kissinger received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize under controversial circumstances.
In contrast, Kissinger is an immensely beloved figure within China, with China News Service describing him in his obituary as someone “who had a sharp vision and a thorough understanding of world affairs
credit: PM News
