One of the most influential and often controversial figures of the 20th century, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, has died at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut, USA. The news of his death was announced by his consulting firm.
Kissinger was National Security Advisor under former US President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State under Nixon and Former US President Gerald Ford. He has been considered instrumental in shaping the post WWII world through his ‘realpolitik’ and promotion of America’s raw power.
Both a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and accused of war crimes over the bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, Kissinger leaves behind him a complex legacy. His relationship with Greece was also contentious due to his appeasement of Greece’s neighbor Turkey, which some say contributed to Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
Kissinger was born in Germany and fled Nazi Germany as a teen and Jewish refugee, along with his family in 1938. He moved on to study at Harvard and in 1969 undertook his posts under Nixon and Ford which would last until 1975. He served the US government again briefly as Chair of the 9/11 Commission in late 2022 under then US President George W. Bush.
