2023-12-01 00:23:20
Henry Kissinger, an emblematic yet controversial figure in US foreign policy, died on November 29 at his residence in Connecticut at the age of 100. Known for his influential and sometimes controversial role, Kissinger has often been described as an unofficial representative of the political elite, commonly referred to as the “deep state”, both in American domestic politics and in global politics.
During his service as National Security Advisor and then as Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, Kissinger had a decisive impact on shaping US foreign policy.
His time in office was marked by the intensification of the war in Vietnam and the expansion of the conflict into neutral Cambodiaevents that led to a high number of civilian casualties.
We could summarize its main successes and failures this way:
Successes
1. Opening up of China: Kissinger played a key role in normalizing relations between the United States and China in the 1970s. His secret visit to China in 1971 set the stage for President Nixon’s visit in 1972 and the subsequent easing of tensions between the two countries.
2. The policy of détente: Kissinger was the architect of the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, which helped reduce Cold War tensions and led to the signing of numerous important arms control agreements, including SALT I. 3. Conclusion of the Peace of
3. Paris Agreements: Kissinger played a central role in the negotiations that led to the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, which formally ended the Vietnam War and earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
4. Resolution of the conflict in the Middle East: Kissinger was actively involved in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, conducting “shuttle diplomacy” and facilitating the signing of interim agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
5. Expanding US Global Influence: Kissinger played a key role in expanding U.S. global influence by using sophisticated foreign policy strategies, including realism and an emphasis on the balance of power.
Failures
1. Bombing of Cambodia: Kissinger supported the secret bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, which caused significant civilian casualties and destabilized the region.
2. Support for dictators: Kissinger has supported authoritarian regimes in Latin America, including the Pinochet regime in Chile, which has attracted international condemnation and is considered a violation of human rights.
3. Indo-Pak War 1971: Kissinger was criticized for supporting Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War, considered by many to be a mistake given the Pakistani military’s massive human rights abuses in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
4. Insight into the Vietnam War: Some critics accuse Kissinger of deepening and prolonging the Vietnam War, arguing that his strategies and decisions only intensified the conflict and led to further military and civilian casualties.
5. Neglect of human rights: in many foreign policy cases in which Kissinger was involved, human rights were ignored in favor of geopolitical and strategic interests.
Despite these facts, many of which are not exactly flattering, upon his death, Kissinger was celebrated in the United States (Foreign Policy called him “a colossus on the world stage” and the New York Times wrote that he is the most influential American secretary of state since the Second World War) is because they recognize him as one of the architects of the global world system after the Second World War.
“Kissinger the player, man of a thousand faces: Shuttle Diplomacy”
In his career Kissinger is also known for having introduced the method of “shuttle diplomacy”, which is still a concept associated with his name today. This expression means political mediation, when a conflict between two states is resolved with the participation of a third country and under its conditions.
The term was first used to describe Kissinger’s efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict (the Yom Kippur War) in 1973.
An anecdote is very illustrative of the so-called ‘shuttle diplomacy’:
THE FAMOUS AMERICAN DIPLOMAT HENRY KISSINGER WAS ONCE ASKED:
WHAT IS “SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY”?
KISSINGER REPLIED: “OH!” THIS IS A UNIVERSAL JEWISH METHOD! LET ME EXPLAIN WITH AN EXAMPLE: YOU WANT TO USE SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY TO MARRY ROCKEFELLER’S DAUGHTER TO A SIMPLE BOY FROM A RUSSIAN VILLAGE.
AS? VERY SIMPLE. I GO TO A RUSSIAN VILLAGE, I FIND A SIMPLE BOY THERE AND I ASK: “DO YOU WANT TO MARRY AN AMERICAN JEW?” HE SAID TO ME, “WHY THE HELL?!” WE HAVE MANY OF OUR OWN GIRLS. I TOLD HIM: YES. BUT SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF A BILLIONAIRE! IT ! THIS CHANGES THINGS…
…THEN I GO TO SWITZERLAND, TO A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF THE BANK AND I ASK: “DO YOU WANT TO HAVE A SIBERIAN AS PRESIDENT?” “UGH”, THEY TELL ME AT THE BANK.
WHAT IF HE, AT THE SAME TIME, WAS ROCKEFELLER’S SON-IN-LAW? FROM! THIS, OBVIOUSLY, CHANGES THINGS!…
YET, YES, I GO HOME TO ROCKEFELLER AND ASK: “DO YOU WANT TO HAVE A RUSSIAN AS A SSON-IN-LAW?” HE SAID TO ME: “WHAT DO YOU SAY, IN OUR FAMILY THEY ARE ALL FINANCIERS!” I TOLD HIM: “AND HE IS, IN FACT, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE SWISS BANK!” IT ! THIS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! SUSY! COME HERE. MR KISSINGER HAS FOUND YOU A GROOM. THIS IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS BANK!
SUZY:
FI… ALL THESE FINANCIERS ARE DEAD OR FAGS! AND I TOLD HER: YES! BUT THIS IS A STURDY SIBERIAN! SHE: OH-OH-OH! THIS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!
Position regarding the war in Ukraine
Kissinger set a great example of balance and great diplomacy by opposing Ukraine’s entry into NATO. In 2014, he published an article in the Washington Post, in which he said that Ukraine should not be “an outpost of one side against the other, but should function as a bridge between them.” Only then will the country be able to “survive and prosper”.
Subsequently, in 2022, at the World Economic Forum, Henry Kissinger advocated a diplomatic solution to the conflict and proposed to restore the status quo before the start of the special operation, leaving Crimea and part of Donbass under Russian control. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky rejected Kissinger’s proposals.
Putin’s greeting: “An exceptional diplomat, a wise and far-sighted statesman, who for many decades enjoyed well-deserved authority throughout the world has passed away. The name of Henry Kissinger is inextricably linked to a pragmatic line of foreign policy, which once made it possible to achieve the détente of international tensions and to reach the most important Soviet-American agreements that contributed to the strengthening of global security.
I had the opportunity to personally communicate many times with this profound and extraordinary man, and I will undoubtedly retain the fondest memories of him.”.
Why did Russia and China pay him words of great esteem?
I believe that Innokenty Vishnevsky in his article published today on News Agency “Antifascist” has hit on these motivations. Below is an excerpt:
(start of quote) Despite all the contradictions of Kissinger’s figure, he never lost his reputation as an exceptional expert on American foreign policy. After leaving big politics, both Republicans and Democrats, as well as many world leaders, turned to him for advice. Kissinger wrote a huge number of articles and books and published his memoirs, in which he provided the most complete and profound explanations of the essence of American foreign policy.
Kissinger expressed skepticism about a changing world and did not believe Washington could remake the planet in America’s image. He doubted that democracy would be a panacea for all problems.
Kissinger also believed that the only sensible approach towards China and Russia was a concept of realpolitik, which did not seek to solve the world’s problems in an idealistic way, but rather to manage them through careful consideration of the ever-changing balance of power. (…)
Kissinger himself defined the essence of his approach in his book Diplomacy.
“International systems are leading a miserable existence“, he wrote. — Every “world order” expresses the desire for constancy. However, its building blocks are in constant motion. Indeed, as the centuries pass, the duration of international systems shortens.”
His approach is especially true for our turbulent 21st century. Never before has the world order deteriorated so rapidly. Kissinger recommended to American politicians “in the next century to articulate to their audiences a concept of national interest and to explain how those interests are served – in Europe and Asia – while maintaining a balance of power. America will need partners to maintain balance in different regions of the world, and these partners cannot be chosen solely on the basis of moral considerations.”
The patriarch of American diplomacy towards the end of his life feared that Washington, prosecuting a confrontational approach with both China and Russia for moral or ideological reasons could run the risk of self-isolation and a revival of the old alliance between Beijing and Moscow.
In 2018, he reportedly advised then-President Donald Trump to try to work more closely with Russia to counter China.
At the same time, Kissinger also warned that, unleashing a new Cold War against China, Washington is creating an even greater danger than it faced with the USSR. The Soviet Union, he said at the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum in May 2021, “did not have the technological development potential of China. China is a huge economic power as well as being a significant military power.” And once again the White House warned against “an excess of idealistic zeal to change the world for the better.” The advice would be very useful in the White House today. (end quote)
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