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Who was Henry Kissinger? He shaped US foreign policy to Vietnam, China, launched 'shuttle diplomacy', got Nobel Prize

Synopsis

Henry Kissinger will always be remembered for playing a pivotal and polarising role in US foreign policy during the Cold War. Then-President Nixon appointed him national security adviser in 1969 and he got enormous sway over US foreign policy. He worked as national security adviser and secretary of state between 1969-77.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has died at the age of 100. Paying rich tributes to the German-born former diplomat, former US President George W Bush said the US had "lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs". Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair described him as an artist of diplomacy and said Kissinger was motivated by "a genuine love of the free world and the need to protect it". Praising him, former President Richard Nixon's daughters, Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower said Kissinger's life was "so unique - and so thoroughly American".

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Kissinger helps shape US foreign policy

Henry Kissinger will always be remembered for playing a pivotal and polarising role in US foreign policy during the Cold War. Then-President Nixon appointed him national security adviser in 1969 and he got enormous sway over US foreign policy. He worked as national security adviser and secretary of state between 1969-77.



Known for 'shuttle diplomacy'


This was the time when the US finally pulled out its forces from Vietnam. He played a pivotal role in opening up relations with China and stopping hostilities in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Middle East between Egypt and Syria on the one hand and Israel on the other. During this period he developed what was called the 'shuttle diplomacy'.


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Henry Kissinger under scathing attack


But the man who shaped the US foreign policy also came under scathing attack for allegedly putting rivalry with the Soviet Union over human rights and supporting repressive regimes across the world, including Augusto Pinochet in Chile. He was criticized for his policies in Cambodia and Argentina.


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Controversial Nobel Prize


Henry Kissinger was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize alongside North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho in 1973, who refused to accept it. The prize became controversial and two members of the Nobel committee had to resign.

The anger against Henry Kissinger can be understood because 'Rolling Stone published his obituary under the headline "Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies". The left-leaning 'HuffPost' has carried the news along with the "The Beltway Butcher" over a photo of him on its home page.
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FAQs:


How and when did Henry Kissinger help shape US foreign policy?
Henry Kissinger will always be remembered for playing a pivotal and polarising role in US foreign policy during the Cold War. Then-President Nixon appointed him national security adviser in 1969 and he got enormous sway over US foreign policy. He worked as national security adviser and secretary of state between 1969-77.
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How did Henry Kissinger help US in Asia and Middle East?
Henry Kissinger helped change the US policy and finally, the US forces were pulled out of Vietnam. He played a pivotal role in opening up relations with China and stopping hostilities in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Middle East between Egypt and Syria on the one hand and Israel on the other. During this period he developed what was called the 'shuttle diplomacy'.



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