The legacy of Henry Kissinger

Kissinger's death marks the end of a foreign policy era.

BERLIN GERMANY JANUARY 21 Former United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger attends the ceremony for the Henry A Kissinger Prize on January 21 2020 in Berlin Germany The annual prize is awarded by the American Academy in Berlin for outstanding service to transatlantic relations The 2019 edition of the award was given to German Chancellor Angela Merkel Photo by Adam BerryGetty Images
(Image credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Henry Kissinger, who died on November 29, 2023, at the age of 100, was “one of the most prominent and controversial figures” in 20th-century US foreign policy, says Martin Pengelly in The Guardian. He served as president Richard Nixon’s secretary of state and Gerald Ford’s national security adviser and “remained influential” after his time in office thanks in part to his geopolitical consultancy and his authorship of books on international affairs. 

He advised a dozen presidents and won a shared Nobel prize for negotiating the end of the Vietnam War. The obituaries examining his legacy were as divided as he was divisive in life. Some praised him as “a statesman, a master diplomat, an exponent of power politics deployed to the benefit of America”. For many others, he was a war criminal with a “contempt for human rights”.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Explore More
Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri