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December 1, 2023

By Vanessa Mobley

Op-Ed Editor

Henry Kissinger was a singular figure in history, and alive long enough to see his lengthy record debated for decades.

His undergraduate thesis, "The Meaning of History: Reflections on Spengler, Toynbee and Kant," explored various interpretations of the role of the individual in the course of history. This would prove to be perfect preparation for the many roles he played on America's behalf on the global stage, from expanding the Vietnam War (by approving the bombing of Cambodia in 1969) to jointly negotiating a cease fire, for which he shared the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize.

In a guest essay, the former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes takes the measure of Mr. Kissinger's career. About the bombing of Cambodia, Rhodes writes, "That bombing — often indiscriminately massacring civilians — did nothing to improve the terms on which the Vietnam War ended; if anything, it just indicated the lengths to which the United States would go to express its displeasure at losing."

Yet Rhodes also takes pains to make clear that a simple repudiation of Mr. Kissinger would be a mistake. "All of this cannot be laid on Henry Kissinger's shoulders. In many ways, he was as much a creation of the American national security state as its author."

Although both men walked the same West Wing halls, and faced some of the same challenges in public service, the conception of American strategic interest held by Ben Rhodes is completely different from that of Henry Kissinger.

And that may be yet another example of Mr. Kissinger's legacy.

Read the guest essay:

Michael Avedon/August

GUEST ESSAY

Henry Kissinger, the Hypocrite

He was as much a creation of the American national security state as he was its author.

By Ben Rhodes

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