jfid – Henry Kissinger is one of the most controversial figures in American history.
He was the national security advisor and then secretary of state under two presidents, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, from 1969 to 1977.
During his tenure, he was involved in various interventions and conflicts around the world, which resulted in casualties, human rights violations, and humanitarian crises.
Some examples of the war crimes committed or supported by Kissinger are:
Assisting Nixon in sabotaging the Paris Peace Accords and prolonging the Vietnam War, which killed more than 2 million people in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Kissinger also ordered a secret and brutal bombing campaign in Cambodia, which destroyed the country and paved the way for the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.
Facilitating genocides in Cambodia, East Timor, and Bangladesh, by providing political and military support to regimes that carried out mass killings of their people.
In Bangladesh, Kissinger blocked humanitarian aid and international intervention to stop the killing of about 300,000 people by the Pakistani military.
In East Timor, Kissinger approved Indonesia’s invasion that killed about 180,000 people, or a quarter of the population.
Supporting coups and death squads throughout Latin America, disregarding the democratic rights and human rights of the people there.
In Chile, Kissinger played a role in planning and funding a military coup that overthrew elected president Salvador Allende and replaced him with dictator Augusto Pinochet, who was responsible for the torture and murder of thousands of people.
In Argentina, Kissinger gave the green light to the military junta to carry out a terror campaign known as the “Dirty War”, which disappeared about 30,000 civilians.
Worsening the civil war in Southern Africa, by supporting the apartheid regime and obstructing peace efforts.
Kissinger also sparked a war in Angola, by supporting a rebel movement backed by South Africa and the United States against a government backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union. This war killed about 500,000 people and left millions impoverished and displaced.
Kissinger has never been tried or punished for these crimes, despite ample evidence and witnesses revealing his role. He is even still respected and consulted by American leaders and media, who often overlook or justify his poor record.
He also became wealthy by founding a consulting firm, Kissinger Associates, which helps large corporations, banks, and financial institutions do business with governments around the world.
On December 29, 2023, Henry Alfred Kissinger died at his home in Kent, Connecticut, at the age of 100.
His death was met with sympathy and affection by most of the American media, which is perhaps more worrying than his legacy.
However, there are also those who demand that Kissinger be tried as a war criminal and human rights violator, according to applicable international standards.
They remind that Kissinger’s victims should not be forgotten or forgiven, and that the United States must be accountable for policies that harm millions of people around the world.
They also warn that respecting Kissinger means accepting and encouraging similar practices in the future.
Henry Kissinger is a symbol of the power, cruelty, and injustice that often haunt the world. He is a mass murderer still free at 100. He is a history that should not be repeated.
