“Once you’ve been to Cambodia, you’ll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands. You will never again be able to open a newspaper and read about that treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag sitting down for a nice chat with Charlie Rose or attending some black-tie affair for a new glossy magazine without choking. Witness what Henry did in Cambodia – the fruits of his genius for statesmanship – and you will never understand why he’s not sitting in the dock at The Hague next to Milošević.”
― Anthony Bourdain
Henry Kissinger was probably the most famous American diplomat in history. Many people felt that he was a hugely influential figure, with his "realpolitik" approach. In later years, he was a regular in lectures and television interview shows, indeed like Charlie Rose.
To his credit, there was an interesting family history that showed perseverance. Kissinger's family fled Nazi Germany, and Henry himself eventually entered the United States Army an fought against Germany. Also to his credit, there were some policies which
Also to his credit, there were some policies in his capacity as Secretary of State, where he served from 1969 until 1977 (for the Nixon and Ford administrations, respectively) where he seemed to have some good ideas. He pursued a détente, or an easing of tensions, between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which was probably a good idea, considering just how many nuclear weapons both sides had, and just high and deadly the stakes were. Also, he helped to orchestrate the opening of relations with China, which was not a terrible idea, even if it has been a mixed bag of results since.
To me, however, Kissinger will always be associated with the escalation of the war in Vietnam which, of course, the Nixon administration expanded to neighboring countries Laos and Cambodia. All of that after promising to bring an honorable end to the conflict. Eventually, the war in Southeast Asia did come to an end, but again, not until well after the Nixon administration - with Kissinger often being considered the brainchild of this policy - escalated it. He championed cluster bombs, and the bombing was not restricted to Vietnam, but to Cambodia and Laos. This last for years, and some people still feel that the United States was in a de facto war against Cambodia, and to a lesser degree, Laos. According to some reports, some of those bombs did not explode when intended back then, and are still doing damage to people right to the present day.
These American policies and actions, which again were advocated and championed by Kissinger, were nothing short of war crimes. It has been estimated that three million Vietnamese died during the Vietnam conflict (which again, clearly went beyond the borders of Vietnam itself). Much of that blood was on Kissinger's hands, under Kissinger's watch while in Washington. So I agree with Bourdain's quote above, suggesting that Kissinger should have been right alongside Milošević in the Hague, being tried for war crimes.
Let us not forget that Kissinger supported Nixon's attempts to ban the publication of the Pentagon Papers, which was an effort (ultimately a successful one) by journalists to being the true, secret history of the Vietnam conflict into light. an already unpopular war grew even more unpopular still as a result, and likely hastened the end of the Vietnam War, but not on the conditions favored by Nixon and Kissinger. This was an attempt by Nixon and Kissinger to increase secrecy around the White House and government in general, which by now, I think most of us recognize is not a good thing. The ability of journalists to blow the whistle on wrongdoing by officials is one of the few remaining checks and balances that the public has against the "powers that be," and Kissinger was part of the effort to squelch that.
Let us also not forget Kissinger's role in setting up the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, a country he once had described as "a dagger pointed at the heart of Antarctica." That may sound relatively mild, or even polite, by today's standards, since we have had a sitting president dismiss literally dozens of countries as "shithole nations." Still, that remark by Kissinger was very dismissive of Chile in it's own right. It is all the more ridiculous when you consider that Kissinger soon reversed his stance on Chile and supported a coup d'état that established the brutal Pinochet dictatorship, which lasted 19 years and was responsible for many human rights abuses, including the infamous "disappearances."
In a very well-written article that serves as a damning indictment of Kissinger, Christopher Hitchens once summed up one significant aspect of Kissinger's role in Chile this way:
An unelected official in the United States is meeting with others, without the knowledge or authorisation of Congress, to plan the kidnapping of a constitution-minded senior officer in a democratic country with which the United States is not at war, and with which it maintains cordial diplomatic relations. The minutes of the meetings may have an official look to them (though they were hidden from the light of day for long enough) but what we are reviewing is a "hit" - a piece of state-supported terrorism.
Kissinger was also the brainchild of Operation Condor, which established a cooperation by multiple Latin American countries to enforce a brutal crackdown against political dissent. Here again is how Hitchens describes it:
This was a machinery of cross-border assassination, abduction, torture and intimidation, coordinated between the secret police forces of Pinochet's Chile, Stroessner's Paraguay, Videla's Argentina and other regional caudillos.
This, Hitchens declares, clearly violates international law. The dictatorships in South American that cooperated with this policy were all either ousted or otherwise held accountable, at least to some degree. But American officials, obviously including Kissinger, remained somehow exempt from any real ramifications. In fact, Kissinger came to be regarded as a revered statesman by some.
Kissinger's interventionist policies also had adverse effects in other places around the globe, as well. His seemingly unconditional support of Turkey, and most especially his apparent inability to stand up to Turkish aggression had detrimental effects in Greece and Cyprus in 1974. The next year, he seemed to give the winking approval for Indonesia's invasion of East Timor. And just after the Soweto uprisings in South Africa, he helped to give diplomatic legitimacy to the white-minority apartheid government. Also, he supported UNITA in the brutal civil war in Angola, which lasted nearly three decades.
That's quite the track record. Indeed, after reviewing such a history of frankly disastrous outcomes from Kissinger's policies, it becomes hard to argue against those who feel that the late Kissinger had blood on his hands.
Again, here are some words from Hitchens:
All of the above-cited crimes, and many more besides, were committed on Kissinger's 'watch' as secretary of state. And all of them were, and are, punishable, under local or international law, or both.
But Kissinger never was held to account for all the damage that his policies did. Some are even considering his recent death a loss, and still trying to hold up his legacy as one deserving of honor. To me, however, he was nothing short of a war criminal, a stain on recent history. At the very least, he deserves to be remembered as such.
Below are the links to the articles I used in writing this particular blog entry, including the quotes used above. Also, there is a video from Lee Child, who explains a bit more that is rarely discussed about Kissinger, including his role as the architect of the petrodollar, which itself adds to the blood on Kissinger's hands.
Henry Kissinger Is Dead at 100; Shaped the Nation’s Cold War History by David E. Sanger, November 29, 2023:
The most powerful secretary of state of the postwar era, he was both celebrated and reviled. His complicated legacy still resonates in relations with China, Russia and the Middle East.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/us/henry-kissinger-dead.html
Henry Kissinger’s Cluster Bombs Are Still Killing People in Southeast Asia by Danae Hendrickson Updated Nov. 30, 2023:
THE WAR THAT NEVER ENDS A half-century after the war “ended,” people in Vietnam Laos, and Cambodia try to live their lives in a land riddled with unexploded ordinance that still kill and maim civilians.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/henry-kissingers-cluster-bombs-are-still-killing-people-in-southeast-asia
Henry Kissinger: 10 conflicts, countries that define a blood-stained legacy by Al Jazeera and Agencies Published On 30 Nov 2023 30 Nov 2023:
The master of cold realpolitik left a legacy of destruction that is still playing out across the world.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/30/henry-kissinger-10-conflicts-countries-that-define-a-blood-stained-legacy
Why has he got away with it? by Christopher Hitchens, Sat 24 Feb 2001:
Henry Kissinger is revered as a statesman, cosseted guest, star of the lecture circuit. He is also the one-time US Secretary of State who oversaw the destruction of civilian populations, the assassination of politicians and the kidnapping of those who got in his way - from Indochina to Cyprus, East Timor and, here, Chile. Christopher Hitchens lays the charges Christopher Hitchens Sat 24 Feb 2001
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/feb/24/pinochet.bookextracts
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