Henry Kissinger, a renowned figure in American diplomacy and former Secretary of State under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, has passed away at the age of 100 on Wednesday, November 29. Considered a key player in global diplomacy during the Cold War, his consulting firm Kissinger Associates announced his death at his home in Connecticut, without providing details about the cause. The diplomat’s family will hold private funeral services, with a public memorial ceremony planned for a later date in New York. Former US President George W. Bush, who is also a Republican, paid tribute to Kissinger, stating that « America has lost one of its most knowledgeable and influential voices in foreign policy. »
Born Heinz Alfred Kissinger in 1923 in Bavaria, Germany to Jewish parents, he fled Nazi Germany and became a naturalized US citizen at the age of 20. The son of a teacher, Kissinger joined the US military counterintelligence and later went on to pursue higher education at Harvard, where he also became a professor. Henry Kissinger, recognizable by his distinctive large-framed glasses, became a prominent figure in global diplomacy when Republican President Richard Nixon appointed him as National Security Advisor in 1969, followed by his appointment as Secretary of State. Kissinger held both positions simultaneously from 1973 to 1975. He continued his role as the master of diplomacy even after Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974 due to the Watergate scandal, serving under his successor Gerald Ford until 1977.
China played a significant role in Henry Kissinger’s career. He was instrumental in normalizing US-China relations during Mao Zedong’s era, undertaking secret trips to organize Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing in 1972. This outreach ended China’s isolation and contributed to its emergence as an economic and global power. Kissinger also conducted secret negotiations to end the Vietnam War simultaneous to the bombings of Hanoi. The subsequent ceasefire agreement earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, shared with the North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho. However, Tho declined the award, claiming that the negotiated truce was not being respected, and Kissinger did not attend the award ceremony in Oslo due to fear of protests.
In the United States, Henry Kissinger is also recognized for his role as a mediator between Israel and Arab countries. In 1973, following a surprise attack by Arab nations on Israel during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, he organized a massive airlift to supply Israel with weapons.
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