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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Graeme Massie,Maroosha Muzaffar,Rachel Sharp and Ariana Baio

Biden says he ‘often strongly’ disagreed with Kissinger after diplomat’s death

AFP via Getty Images

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Henry Kissinger, a Holocaust survivor who became the US’s most influential – and divisive – diplomat, has died at the age of 100.

Kissinger leaves behind a complex legacy, remembered as a master of global politics by some and an alleged war criminal by others.

Born in Bavaria, his family fled to New York City to escape the Holocaust – an experience that would go on to shape his future foreign policy work.

As President Richard Nixon’s National Security Advisor, Kissinger was responsible for negotiating the US’s exit from the unpopular Vietnam War. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic work – but his legacy was then tainted when it emerged he had authorised the secret carpet-bombing of neutral Cambodia, which killed at least 150,000 civilians.

Beyond his diplomacy work, Kissinger briefly enjoyed a reputation as an unlikely ladies’ man and social butterfly in Washington DC, dating several stars of the time before marrying his second wife Nancy – who survives him.

Reactions from political and diplomatic allies and foes poured in after his death on Wednesday, with former president George W Bush remembering “his wisdom, his charm, and his humour”.

Joe Biden on Thursday said that he had “often strongly” disagreed with Kissinger but praised his “fierce intellect.”

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