Henry Kissinger, a dominating and polarizing force in US foreign policy, dies at 100

[CharlieH]

 

 

Henry Kissinger, a former US secretary of state and national security adviser who escaped Nazi Germany in his youth to become one of the most influential and controversial foreign policy figures in American history, has died, according to a statement from his consulting firm, Kissinger Associates. He was 100.

Kissinger was synonymous with US foreign policy in the 1970s. He received a Nobel Peace Prize for helping arrange the end of US military involvement in the Vietnam War and is credited with secret diplomacy that helped President Richard Nixon open communist China to the United States and the West, highlighted by Nixon’s visit to the country in 1972.

But he was also reviled by many over the bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War that led to the rise of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime and for his support of a coup against a democratic government in Chile.

 

 

In the Middle East, Kissinger performed what came to be known as “shuttle diplomacy” to separate Israeli and Arab forces after the fallout of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. His “détente” approach to US-Soviet relations, which helped relax tensions and led to several arms control agreements, largely guided US posture until the Reagan era.

But many members of Congress objected to the secretiveness of the Nixon-Kissinger approach to foreign policy, and human rights activists assailed what they saw as Kissinger’s neglect of human rights in other countries. No issue complicated Kissinger’s legacy more than the Vietnam War. When Nixon took office in 1969 – after promising a “secret plan” to end the war – roughly 30,000 Americans had been killed in Vietnam.

 

FULL STORY

[stoner]

finally !! what a horrid human. 

[Tug]

There’s one that’s got some explaining to do when he meets the big guy!

[KhunBENQ]

Was it the first case that the Nobel peace price has been degraded, became a shame?

[placeholder]

Whatever his moral failings were, and it was Kissinger who, among other things, gave the Indonesian the go-ahead to invade East Timor, what's worse is his utter inability to understand that ultimately it's economics that drives world affairs. He was blindsided by the collapse of the Soviet Empire. When he did try to grapple with economics he got it wrong. He believed that private enterprise would inevitably  turn China into a democracy.

[Emdog]

Glad the rotten old bastard is finally dead, but still wish he'd stood trial for the many crimes against humanity he engineered

[stoner]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Was it the first case that the Nobel peace price has been degraded, became a shame?

 

dynamite !!

[thaibeachlovers]

They'll be cheering in Cambodia and all the other countries he damaged.

IMO a truly vile man, and the world is a better place for his departure.

I just wish his death had been in jail.

[Jingthing]

I would say he was both brilliant and evil. I don't think he'll be lying in state at the capitol. It will be interesting to see what politicians if any attend his funeral. 

[ChaiyaTH]

1 hour ago, Emdog said:

Glad the rotten old bastard is finally dead, but still wish he'd stood trial for the many crimes against humanity he engineered

Not sure we should be happy to soon, now there is the potential he will be reborn again too.

[John Drake]

He's dead. And that's a good thing, because even at age 100 he was actively involved in making mischief by representing the PRC.

[DaddyWarbucks]

Pure evil.

You very rarely see it so unadulterated.

[bendejo]

It's about time! 

The old saying the good die young.

 

2008 Olympics in Beijing he showed up at the stadium.  They stuck him and his missus in a an unsheltered bleachers under the hot summer sun.  Saw a shot on TV (in Malaysia) of the two leaving, both looked in very bad shape.  No VIP section or bodyguards for them!

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Doesn't seem as though the horrid man was popular outside certain circles in the US.

Perhaps like Cromwell his body needs to be executed.

 

 

 

[sirineou]

Proof certain that there is no God. 

If there was one kissinger would had died a long time ago from a horrible and long lasting disease.  

The world is a better place without him.

[RayC]

14 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Doesn't seem as though the horrid man was popular outside certain circles in the US.

Perhaps like Cromwell his body needs to be executed.

 

 

 

 

Execute a corpse? Well, I suppose you can never be too sure🤷

[tonbridgebrit]

On 11/30/2023 at 3:32 AM, placeholder said:

Whatever his moral failings were, and it was Kissinger who, among other things, gave the Indonesian the go-ahead to invade East Timor, what's worse is his utter inability to understand that ultimately it's economics that drives world affairs. He was blindsided by the collapse of the Soviet Empire. When he did try to grapple with economics he got it wrong. He believed that private enterprise would inevitably  turn China into a democracy.

I've noticed your other posts on Asean Now, and I do think it's funny that you've put this up.  

Yes, ultimately, it's economics that drives world affairs. Kissenger is highly regarded by the Beijing government. It was Kissenger and Nixon who removed the barrier between America and China. Mao Zedong was still there when this happened. As you said, it's all about economics. It's good for America that trade exists between America and China. And good for China.

Did Kissenger believe that economic growth in China would turn China into a democracy ?  I don't think he did. I reckon that he knew that China is harmless. I reckon he knew that China is not wrong to have Tibet and the South China Sea. He felt that what goes on in China is basically, to do with China. He saw the massive economic benefits of huge trade between America and China. Benefits for both America and China.



Above is a photo of Henry Kissenger and Xi Jinping. Kissenger visited China lots of times.  

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

I reckon that he knew that China is harmless. I reckon he knew that China is not wrong to have Tibet and the South China Sea.

Is that sarcasm?

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

It's good for America that trade exists between America and China.

Not so good for the Americans that had their jobs exported to China so the 1% could exploit Chinese workers to get richer.

[tonbridgebrit]

16 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Not so good for the Americans that had their jobs exported to China so the 1% could exploit Chinese workers to get richer.

Yes, a reduction in America and Britain's manufacturing sector generates un-employment. But cheaper imported goods benefits everybody in America and Britain.
And the new un-employed ?  Reduce the number of cheaper migrant workers, have local people doing them jobs. And because a lot of them jobs are jobs that locals don't want to do, well, simple, bump up the wages.

So, no more working in a factory. Bearing in mind a lot of the goods imported are basic low-value products. Like furniture (chairs, tables, beds, etc) and clothes (underwear, socks, t-shirts, etc) .  And yes, mobile phones, flat-screen televisions, etc. People will be allowed to collect un-employment benefit, or get a job if they want to. And, oh look, nobody wants to be a hotel cleaner. But hotels will definitely still exist, hotels need cleaners, well, bump up the wages to encourage people to be hotel cleaners.

[nausea]

Well at least he wasn't stupid, and he wasn't mad.