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Kissinger, Henry (1923–) |
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Born of German-Jewish parents who fled to America in 1938, Henry (formerly ‘Heinz’) Kissinger was a professor of international relations at Harvard University until he was invited to be National Security Advisor by Richard Nixon after his victory in the US presidential election in November 1968. In August 1973 he also became secretary of state, a position he held until the Republicans surrendered the White House at the beginning of 1977.
A student and admirer of Metternich, Kissinger brought to the formulation of US foreign policy a strong belief in the idea of the balance of power (sense 3) at the point in America\'s fortunes when it seemed that she was becoming just another major power. During his early years as National Security Advisor, Kissinger was also famous for activities, often highly secret, as a special envoy, particularly in the negotiations which led to the ending of the Vietnam War (for which, together with Le Duc Tho, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973) and the opening to the People\'s Republic of China. It was this side of his activities which led, as he became a major international celebrity, to the popularization of the term linkage, and – at least in this extreme form – the invention of shuttle diplomacy.
For students of Kissinger\'s views on diplomacy and his theory of international relations, probably the most important of his many writings are his doctoral thesis, subsequently published under the title A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh and the Problems of Peace 1812–22 (1957); the first of his three volumes of memoirs, The White House Years (1979); and Diplomacy (1994) – in that order.
See also salami tactics; step-by-step diplomacy; triangular diplomacy. |
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