Kissinger, pictured in 2011, served under two US presidents. Photo: DAVID HOWELLS
Henry Kissinger, diplomat who served under two US presidents. Presidents who left a lifelong mark on US foreign policy have died at the age of 100.
The diplomat, best known during his tenure as Secretary of State under Richard Nixon, remained active in global foreign policy. he turned a hundred years old — he visited Xi Jinping in Beijing in July this year.
“Dr. Henry Kissinger, a respected American scientist and statesman, died today at his home in Connecticut,” his consulting firm, Kissinger Associates, said in a statement Wednesday.
Although his foreign policy decisions and their relationship to the doctrine of «realism» were controversial, he survived Nixon's resignation in 1974 and continued in this post to advise his successor Gerald Ford.
Kissinger with Chairman Mao, Gerald Ford and Ford's daughter Susan in Beijing in 1975. Photo: REUTERS 
At a charity dinner with Princess Diana in New York in 1995. Photo: PA
His 1973 Peace Prize, awarded jointly to Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam, who refused it, was one of the most controversial ever. Two members of the Nobel committee resigned over the election, and questions arose about the US secret bombing of Cambodia.
Beginning his tenure as national security adviser in the Nixon administration, Mr. Kissinger was closely associated with the American Vietnamization policy of the 1970s, when the burden of the war shifted from American troops to South Vietnamese forces.
He was appointed Secretary of State in 1973, where he served for one year before becoming an informal foreign policy adviser to presidents and running his own geopolitical consulting firm in New York since 1982.
Kissinger after Nixon appointed him Secretary of State in 1973. He was the first naturalized US citizen to hold this position. Photo: GETTY IMAGES 
With Ted Heath in 1974. Photo: HULTON ARCHIVE
His influence in government waned under the next Republican president, Ronald Reagan, and he began speaking at international events, doing private work and writing more than a dozen books.
He has been invited to the White House to speak with every president since Ford except Joe Biden, who celebrated his 100th birthday in May.
George W. Bush, one of the first to pay tribute to Kissinger on Wednesday night, said he and his wife, Laura, would make it “miss his wisdom, his charm and his humor.”
“With the passing of Henry Kissinger, America has lost one of its most trusted and distinguished voices in international affairs,” he said.
In Washington with Margaret Thatcher in 1975. Photo: AP 
Kissinger with Sir Alec Douglas Home, British Foreign Secretary, in 1973 Photo: GETTY IMAGES
“I have long admired a man who, as a boy from a Jewish family, fled the Nazis and then fought them in the United States Army.
“When he later became Secretary of State, his appointment of a former refugee said as much about his greatness as it did about the greatness of America. He served in two presidential administrations and advised many others. I am grateful for this service and advice, but most of all I am grateful for his friendship.»
British Ambassador to the United States Karen Pierce issued a statement Thursday morning, saying she was «very sad» to hear of Kissinger's passing. .
On the death of Dr. Henry Kissinger, statement by Ambassador Dame Karen Pearce. pic.twitter.com/x5f9x12XnV
— British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) November 30, 2023
Despite his influence, Kissinger's legacy was controversial and he attracted criticism from opponents of his policies on Vietnam, the bombing of Cambodia. and the invasion of Timor-Leste in 1975.
During the 1971 India-Pakistan War, Nixon and Kissinger were heavily criticized for supporting Pakistan.
Mr. Kissinger called Indians «bastards» » — a remark he later said he regretted.
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Anthony Bourdain, the late food critic, once said, “Once you've been to Cambodia, you'll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands.”
Christopher Hitchens, a British polemicist, dedicated an entire book to his legacy entitled “The Trial of Henry Kissinger.”
However, the efforts of a German-born Jewish refugee led to the diplomatic opening of China, a landmark American-Soviet weapon. control negotiations, expanding ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the Paris Peace Agreement with North Vietnam.
After the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush appointed Kissinger to head the investigative committee.
An outcry from Democrats who saw conflicts of interest with many of his consulting firm's clients forced him to resign.
'There will never be another like him'
Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said : “Henry Kissinger fought during the Battle of the Bulge and served our country for many years as a leading diplomat. President Trump said he was a man of «tremendous talent, experience and knowledge.» There will never be another like him.»
Mitt Romney, the outgoing senator from Utah, said Mr. Kissinger was a «great man,» adding: «America is truly lucky to have him was diplomatic, wise and freedom-loving all his life.»
Cindy McCain, wife of the late Senator John McCain, said: «The McCain family will miss his wit, charm and intelligence tremendously.»
Winston Lord, a former US ambassador to China who served as Kissinger's special assistant, said his former boss was a «tireless advocate for peace.» He added: «America has lost an outstanding champion of the national interest.»
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