Henry Kissinger: A Look Back at the Controversial Foreign Policy Legacy of the Late Statesman

Henry Kissinger, who died on Nov. 29, 2023 at the age of 100, was a prominent figure in American foreign policy for over 50 years. He served as National Security Adviser and Secretary of State under the Nixon and Ford administrations from 1969 to 1977. His foreign policy views and actions have been both praised and criticized over the years.

Kissinger’s foreign policy was known as “realpolitik” and was primarily focused on maximizing the economic and military power of the United States. This perspective has been met with both praise and criticism. In 2016, Senator Bernie Sanders described Kissinger as “one of the most destructive secretaries of state in the modern history of this country” during a televised Democratic primary debate with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton had been criticized by progressives during the campaign after she called her Nixon-era predecessor a “friend” on whom she had relied for political advice.

The late author Christopher Hitchens was among those who believed Kissinger should have been prosecuted for war crimes, as he argued in the 2001 book “The Trial of Henry Kissinger.” Joseph Heller, the author of the scabrous anti-war novel “Catch-22,” also criticized Kissinger’s foreign policy.

Kissinger’s legacy will continue to be debated for years to come. His foreign policy views and actions have had both positive and negative impacts on the United States and the world. As the country moves forward, it is important to remember the lessons of Kissinger’s tenure and to strive for a more balanced approach to foreign policy.