Global leaders pay tribute to Henry Kissinger, but his record also draws criticism
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, left, talks with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 31, 2007, prior to Kissinger testifying before the committee about Iraq. Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. He was 100. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
TOKYO (AP) — Global leaders paid tribute to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Thursday, but there was also sharp criticism of the man who remained an influential figure decades after his official service as one of the most powerful diplomats in American history.
Kissinger, who died Wednesday at 100, drew praise as a skilled defender of U.S. interests. On social media, though, he was widely called a war criminal who left lasting damage throughout the world.
"America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices" on foreign affairs, said former President George W. Bush, striking a tone shared by many high-level officials past and present.
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