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Henry
Kissinger, former US secretary of state and a giant figure of
the international political scene in the late 20th century,
has died, aged 100. In this reflection on his life, Lester
Munson of the United States Studies Centre, University of
Sydney, writes:
Whether
he was advising Nixon on Vietnam war policy to set up
plausible peace negotiations, or arranging the details of the
opening to China to put the Soviet Union in checkmate,
Kissinger’s eye was always on preserving and advancing the
liberal humanitarian values of the West – and against the
forces of totalitarianism and hatred.
Of
course, his political legacy is already fiercely contested. And
Sophal Ear, of the Thunderbird School of Global Management,
Arizona State University, writes a powerful analysis,
infused with personal perspective:
I’m
a scholar of the political economy of Cambodia who, as a
child, escaped the brutal Khmer Rouge regime with four
siblings, thanks in large part to the cunning and
determination of my mother. In both a professional and
personal sense, I am aware of the near 50-year impact
Kissinger’s policies during the Vietnam War have had on the
country of my birth.
The
rise of the murderous regime that forced my family to leave
was, in part, encouraged by Kissinger’s policies.
Follow
the links below for more on the life and times of Henry
Kissinger, and further research-informed coverage on our usual
wide rage of issues from across The Conversation global
network. | 
