“State assassin, brilliant strategist, master manipulator”: how the world reacted to the death of Henry Kissinger

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies at age 100 Photo: AP

Henry Kissinger's death at age 100 has sparked reactions around the world. world on Wednesday night, his controversial foreign policy legacy drew both praise and criticism.

In Times Square, where pro-Palestinian protesters were demonstrating against the war in Gaza, applause was heard after an organizer announced the news. .

Rolling Stone magazine, in a scathing assessment of Kissinger's life, called him a «famous war criminal» and a «state assassin» responsible for the death of «every person who died in Vietnam.» between the fall of 1968 and the fall of Saigon.»

The obituary headline read: «Henry Kissinger, the war criminal beloved of America's ruling class, finally dies.»

Rolling Stone headline Photo: Rolling Stone

American news outlets were generally more positive, with Bloomberg calling him a «refugee child» , who became US Secretary of State and shaped American foreign policy in the 1970s with his strategy to end the Vietnam War and contain communist countries.»

CNN described him as «a dominant and polarizing force in U.S. foreign policy,» and Fox News said he was «respected and controversial, lauded by supporters as a brilliant strategist and critics denounced as a master manipulator.»

Henry Kissinger with Richard Nixon (right) Photo: AP

In France, Le Monde said he was “harsh, even contemptuous, but he knew how to charm those he needed,” and used a diplomatic technique “between cynicism and seduction, cruelty and skill.”

The South China Morning Post focused on Kissinger's role in restoring diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing and called him «unapologetic» for his actions in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The newspaper noted that «in recent years he called for easing tensions between Washington and Beijing.»

Foreign Policy Magazine' Kissinger's obituary Photo: Foreign Policy magazine

Foreign Policy magazine said in its obituary that Mr. Kissinger was a «colossus on the world stage» who «has helped author some of the greatest triumphs as well as some of the most tragic failures» Foreign Policy USA

The Economist argued that «even his detractors admitted he had a brilliant mind» and noted that his preference for behind-the-scenes negotiations «matched Nixon's taste for conspiracy» in the late 1960s and early 1970s -s.

The German tabloid Bild simply announced: “Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is dead!”