Why Do People Hate Henry Kissinger? What Did Henry Kissinger Do?

This is the best oxymoron I have ever come across– “Nobel Prize Winner War Criminal.”

One man’s legacy encapsulated the history of three different eras and changed the course of the economy across three different continents. 

Henry Kissinger left behind a lot to unpack after his death on November 29, 2023, in Kent, Connecticut, United States. At 100, Mr. Kissinger still continued his consultancy to the most potent authoritative figures globally. But at the same time, his policies claimed millions of lives. 

Now, we are again at a crossroads on whether Kissinger is the coveted or hated political figure. 

Henry Kissinger served as the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor for President Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Within eight years, Kissinger was directly and indirectly involved in critical conflicts involving the Vietnam War, the downfall of Cambodia, aiding Pakistan against Bangladesh, Argentina’s “dirty war,” Chile coup, East Timor genocide, and civil wars in South African countries. 

Henry Kissinger is considered a war criminal since he was involved in the killings of around 3-4 million people. He was the mastermind behind the bombing of Cambodia, claiming 350,000 to 500,000 lives. 

He sustained his prominence as an advisor to George W. Bush, vice-president Dick Cheney on the Iraq war, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and even had meetings with Barack Obama. On his 100th birthday, Kissinger even met the most powerful leader in the world, Xi Jinping. 

Henry Kissinger’s Political Reign For Over Five Decades

The Harvard University graduate Henry Kissinger earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. Getting a second chance at life after gruesome childhood as a Jewish refugee in Nazi Germany, Kissinger took full advantage of the opportunities he got in America. 

Within ten years, Kissinger paved his way into the political realm in 1969, designated in United States Foreign Policy. Up until 1977, Kissinger had been prominent in changing the course of the deadliest conflict in Vietnam. With his strategic negotiations in the Paris Peace Accords, Kissinger successfully ended the conflict for which he garnered the highest accolade of the Nobel Prize. 

But behind the closed curtains of the Oval Office, Kissinger was also strategizing a noxious attack on Cambodia and Laos. Unbeknownst to the higher political leaders, the National Security Advisor ordered brutal bombings on Cambodia, killing over 500,000 people. 

This triggered a butterfly effect that led to the collapse of Cambodia’s democracy, opening floodgates for vile political vultures. Strongman Pol Pot jumped on this opportunity and incorporated dictatorship, which claimed more than 1 million lives by blatant slaughter and starvation. 

Nevertheless, no one could stop Kissinger from continuing his relevancy in every political era. His realpolitik approach and influence got him into the doors of several forthcoming presidents. Here is an extensive list of all the ways Kissinger was involved in critical political decisions–

1. He served as a private advisor to George W. Bush as the 9/11 Commission Chairman. 
2. He was a key consultant to Vice President Dick Cheney for the Iraq war; we all know how that turned out to be. The racial profiling and Islamophobia spiked in America.  
3. Kissinger was also a secret confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
4. He also championed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Campaign.
5. Even Donald Trump held meetings with Kissinger to obtain his foreign policy cred. 
6. Kissinger served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations at the Atlantic Council and Aspen Institute. 
7. He also held a seat on the board of Theranos, which was by far the worst medical tech failure of the century and the biggest scam by Elizabeth Holmes. 

These are just some of his roles in the USA affairs. 

Kissinger transcended beyond boundaries to prove his influence, which resulted in several conflicts in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. 

Historians, political pundits, and industry experts are still at loggerheads on whether Mr. Kissinger was a war criminal or a monumental figure in the USA’s foreign policies. 

What is your take on this? Do you think Henry Kissinger helped the USA grow by bringing it into the focal point? Or did he exploit nations for his own agenda? 

Let us know in the comments section below.