Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, Passes Away at 100

Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, passed away Wednesday at the age of 100. Historian Doug Brinkley said that while Kissinger “has more enemies than you can count,” “you can’t study diplomacy in the United States without grappling with Henry Kissinger.”

Kissinger was known for his “realist” approach to foreign affairs, which prioritized U.S. interests and domestic political success over any potential atrocity that might occur. This approach led to a secret four-year bombing campaign in Cambodia that killed an untold number of civilians, despite the fact that it was a neutral nation with which the United States was not at war.

Brinkley said that Kissinger “invented the modern concept of realism” in foreign affairs, “or ‘realpolitik,’ as it was called.” He also noted that Kissinger had “a bad anti-democratic record” in dealing with countries like Chile. Many people blamed Kissinger for the continuation of the war in Vietnam and its expansion into Cambodia and Laos.

Kissinger’s legacy is a complex one, and his influence on U.S. foreign policy will continue to be debated for years to come. He will be remembered as a man who sought to protect U.S. interests, but whose actions had a devastating impact on many countries around the world.