Controversial legacy: Henry Kissinger’s war crimes cast a shadow on political praises

UNITED STATES: On 29 November, the world learned of the passing of Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State whose influence on shaping US foreign policy during the Cold War was undeniable.

Kissinger, aged 100, passed away at his Connecticut home, leaving behind a legacy that is, without a doubt, polarizing.

Kissinger Associates, his consulting firm, announced his death, revealing that the family would hold a private funeral, with a memorial service planned in New York, where Kissinger grew up after his Jewish family fled Nazi Germany.

Despite being despised by many globally, including allegations of war crimes, Kissinger found an unlikely ally in China, where Ambassador Xie Feng referred to him as a “most valued old friend” and mourned his death as a “tremendous loss.”

While Kissinger enjoyed a certain level of respect within the political mainstream, his death has reignited discussions about his controversial philosophy of realpolitik, a doctrine marked by cold calculations of national interests through power.

A glimpse of Kissinger’s list of war crimes

Kissinger’s involvement in several geopolitical events has sparked debates about his role in war crimes.

Despite receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiations to end the Vietnam War, his actions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Chile, Bangladesh, East Timor, and Argentina have been heavily criticized.

Some of his most egregious actions were the bombing campaigns in Cambodia and Laos during the Vietnam War.

Historian Greg Grandin of Yale University, author of “Kissinger’s Shadow,” estimates that during the brief eight-year period from 1969 to 1976, Kissinger, while serving as National Security Adviser and Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, was responsible for actions leading to the deaths of three to four million people.

Kissinger oversaw the killing of millions in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos between 1969 and 1973.

This includes acts of commission, such as in Cambodia, where he directed all 3,875 bombing raids that intentionally targeted civilians and endorsed Indonesia’s violence in East Timor, Pakistan’s in Bangladesh, and the U.S. pattern of involving and then forsaking the Kurds.

The outcome of his directions included collateral damage leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians and unintended repercussions, notably the emergence of the genocidal Khmer Rouge.

Another lasting impact is that Laos continues to hold the unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily bombed country in global history.

In Chile, according to declassified records, Kissinger had a significant role in coordinating the 1973 coup supported by the United States, which resulted in the overthrow of Salvador Allende’s socialist government and the installation of the authoritarian Augusto Pinochet.

During Pinochet’s harsh 16-year rule, thousands were killed, and tens of thousands endured torture under his brutal regime.

Kissinger additionally assisted the Pakistani dictator Yahya Khan in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, facilitating the widespread killing of an estimated 300,000 to 3 million individuals.

He turned a blind eye to Pakistan’s large-scale atrocities as Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971, believing the US interest was keeping Islamabad as the quiet go-between with China.

In the East Timor conflict of 1975, Kissinger sanctioned and supplied weaponry to Suharto, the Indonesian dictator, during his genocidal invasion.

This military campaign resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 Timorese through acts of massacre and forced starvation, concluding only when Indonesia concluded its occupation in 1999.

In 1976, Kissinger granted preliminary approval to Argentina’s right-wing military junta for their “dirty war” against leftists, leading to the brutal murder, torture, and disappearance of more than 30,000 people.

Despite the extensive list of accusations against Kissinger, he has never faced serious legal repercussions.

This provides just a glimpse of the comprehensive catalogue of Kissinger’s transgressions, and new revelations continue to emerge each year.

“While Kissinger continues to be honored and held in high regard by the mainstream political establishment, it’s clear that he should be rightfully remembered as one of the biggest mass murderers in history,” said one news outlet in a video.