Kissinger, "the American version of Zhuge Liang", visited China more than 80 times and became an old friend of the Chinese people
An era has literally passed.
Kissinger (1923-2023) was an American diplomat, politician, international relations scholar, former secretary of state, and icebreaker in Sino-US relations.
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, Kissinger has also passed away at the age of 100. The generation that witnessed World War II and the Cold War is completely gone, and the world is now entering a new era, and the future of the new world is still uncertain.
Kissinger. Looking back on Kissinger's life now, he can indeed afford to have a "legendary" life. Born in 1923, Kissinger experienced the entire World War II, the Cold War, the War on Terror, and the War on Drugs, as Nixon's Secretary of StateHe also once stood at the pinnacle of human power and made many decisions that were enough to affect the entire world.
Kissinger and the United States ** Reagan.
Especially for the Chinese, Kissinger has always been regarded as an "old friend of the Chinese people", as early as 1971, it was through his secret visit to China that opened the door to Sino-US exchanges, and he was also considered to be ".The Americans who know China best".。In 2011, Kissinger published "On China", which analyzes China from a diplomatic and geopolitical perspective, and has a lot of Kissinger's own real experiences and observations, so the historical details of the book are quite in place and can be read.
Kissinger, On China
Regarding Kissinger, he really had such a magnificent life that it is no wonder that he is called"Living history book".For China, he may be an old friend, but for the Third World, he is a veritable warmonger.
Kissinger when he was young.
Although Kissinger spent his entire life saddle up for the United States, he was not actually born in the United States, and did not officially become an American until he was 20 years old. Kissinger was born in 1923A wealthy Jewish family in Bavaria, GermanyThe young Kissinger was far from the international fame he would have been, he only liked to play football at that time, and if it weren't for the later World War II, he might have been a player.
Kissinger brothers and mother.
In 1933, a sudden event completely changed the trajectory of the Kissinger family's fate. That year, Hitler's Nazi Party won in Germany, and Hitler became Chancellor. Anti-Semitism in Germany was at its peak, Kissinger's father lost his job as a teacher, and Kissinger was unable to continue his studies. In an extremely oppressive and bleak social atmosphere, all Jews were in danger.
1933 Nazi Party rally.
In 1938, Germany had annexed Austria and the Sudetenland of the Czech Republic, and a large-scale anti-Semitic attack broke out in Germany and AustriaKristallnacht”。More than 20,000 Jewish shops were smashed, direct economic losses of more than $200 million, and just as Nazi Germany was about to start World War II, the Kissinger family fled London, England.
KristallnachtAfter several journeys, the Kissinger family finally settled in New York, USA, and settled here. At that time, Kissinger could only speak German, and English was still very difficult. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States officially declared war on the Axis powers and entered World War II. In 1943, Kissinger obtained American citizenship and, like most young American men at the time, joined the U.S. Army and fought all the way back to Germany.
The man in the box is Kissinger.
He was in an intelligence unit at the time, and because of his familiarity with the German language, he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility for the first time. This experience provided him with extremely important experience for his later political career, and he also met his lifelong Bole Kramer in the army.
Kissinger Bole Kramer.
Kissinger later recalledIt was this military journey that made him truly recognize the United States and his American identity for the first time。Kissinger left his military service in 1946 and went on to study at Harvard University, where he had an excellent mind that he could never forget. After earning a doctorate in political science, Kissinger established his career, and during his time at Harvard, he made many friends and made many contacts that laid a solid foundation for his later diplomatic career.
Kissinger and Brzezinski.
In the United States, if you ask anyone on the street about history, you may not even know when the United States was founded, because education in the United States is highly differentiated, and civilian education and elite education go hand in hand. An absolute elite like Kissinger is so good that because of him, American universities have no choice but to introduce one"Kissinger Standard".Undergraduate graduates** cannot exceed 350,000 words, because Kissinger's undergraduate graduation ** wrote 400 pages, which is more professional than a doctorate**.
Kissinger and Nixon.
It was during his doctoral studies that Kissinger established his own diplomatic strategic thinking, that is, the so-called "balance of major powers", that is, the big countries set the order, the small countries follow the order, and the whole world maintains a balance of interests within a stable framework, that is, the one Roosevelt did. Based on this thinking, Kissinger only later took the initiative to make overtures to China.
Kissinger and George W. Bush.
After graduating, Kissinger has been teaching at colleges and universities, but he is also highly involved in social and political activities, and has written many books, and is a very good political scientist and international relations scholar. His excellent popularity and superb political talents have made him recognized by many. In 1958, after successfully helping Nelson Rockefeller run for governor of New York, Kissinger rose to fameBecome a rising think tank star in the United States
New York in 1960.
In the 60s, the United States ushered in the most severe decade of the Cold War, during which the United States faced drastic social transformation and the international situation. In 1963, when John F. Kennedy died in the United States, the United States was considering whether to intervene in the Vietnam War with arms. Kennedy's death directly pushed the already tense American political circles into a radical war decision.
In 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Actually,Kissinger was a believer in Roosevelt's policy, he supported the Yalta system, and advocated that the five major powers of China, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and France jointly preside over the international orderHowever, the United States entered the Cold War directly after Roosevelt's death, and because of Kennedy's death, his successor Johnson expanded the Vietnam War, causing the US offshore balance to come to naught.
Yalta Conference.
1968 was a node, that year in the United States, Kissinger's boss Nelson Rockefeller did not become the Republican candidate, but Kissinger met another bigwig, that isNixon。At the time, Nixon was the Republican candidate, and he took a fancy to Kissinger's talent and poached him into his campaign.
Nixon and Kissinger.
It was also under Nixon that Kissinger reached the highest peak of his life and took officeConsultants。In 1969, Nixon successfully ran for the United States, when the Vietnam War was raging, and there was violent social turmoil in the United States, with the civil rights movement, the women's liberation movement, and anti-war marches all in full swing, and the entire American society was on the verge of tearing apart.
Anti-Vietnam War march.
Internationally, the Soviet Union's fierce pursuit also made the United States exhausted, and the United States began to enter a defensive state。Because of the Vietnam War, U.S. military spending soared to $250 billion, causing the Bretton Woods system that had been maintained for more than 20 years to collapse, the dollar continued to fall, inflation in the United States was extremely serious, and a whole generation of young Americans fell into confusion.
Vietnam War. Under such circumstances, Nixon**, under Kissinger's orchestration, made a startling decision, that is, to seek the so-called"International balance of power".At the same time, the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Japan, and Western Europe should maintain their international status in order to achieve a balance and counter the tremendous pressure from the Soviet Union on the United StatesOur country
Cold War confrontation. Previously, conservative Americans, whether Republicans or Democrats, had a consensusContainment of China, Kennedy even said: ". .As long as I'm still **, China won't want to build an atomic bomb”。Kissinger, however, boldly proposed that we should take advantage of the "Sino-Soviet confrontation."To draw China to the side of the United States, at least to ensure that China and the United States work together to contain the Soviet Union
Nixon and Brezhnev.
Kissinger was a diplomatic strategist, much like a columnist, who had no authority to manage domestic affairs, so he could only concentrate on moving around the world. So, under his every consideration,China became the only key to the overwhelm of the Soviet Union。Vertical and horizontal, the big drama is staged.
Kissinger in Beijing.
At that time, the United States generally regarded China and the Soviet Union as allies and demonized China for a long time, especially many Republicans could not imagine that the "anti-Sino-Soviet" policy that had been implemented since the beginning of the Cold War had been overthrown, and now they want to be friends with China. But, as a strategist,Proceeding from the interests of the United States, Kissinger realized that engagement with China was the only way to ensure that the United States would not be left behind
Ping-pong diplomacy. At that time, after the Zhenbao Island incident in 1969, China and the Soviet Union were at odds, which made Kissinger see an opportunity.
Treasure Island. But how do you turn on contact?After all, the Americans and China have been cut off for 20 years, and no one dares to guarantee that nothing will happen if they engage rashly. At this time, during the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan, Chinese and American table tennis players had friendly contact for the first time, and invited the American table tennis delegation to visit China, which opened the prelude to the thaw in Sino-US relationsPing-pong diplomacy.
In 1971, the U.S. table tennis delegation at the Great Wall.
Kissinger is keenly aware that this is a signal from China. So, in the same year, Kissinger visited Pakistan and decided to enter China without knowing it. At a dinner party, he pretended to have a stomachache, and Yahya Khan, who knew the inside story at the time, immediately arranged for Kissinger to arrive in Beijing on a Pakistani plane.
Yahya Khan, Pakistan that helped bring China and the United States into engagement**.
Kissinger's secret visit to China lasted only 48 hours, but he had a 17-hour meeting with ***Sino-US relations, the world pattern, China's return to the United Nations, and the dynamics of the Soviet Unionand a series of other issues, Kissinger also deliberately used chopsticks to eat Peking duck in Beijing. Interestingly, although Kissinger is a Republican think tank, he is not old-fashioned, and he has even hung out"US imperialism greets the Chinese people."banners to show their low profile.
Kissinger with ***
Kissinger's ice-breaking journey is still well known and highly successful, and he has reached a dialogue with China that is at the heart of the world, across ideological and cultural backgrounds.
In 1971, China returned to the United Nations.
After his successful secret visit, Kissinger immediately began to arrange the details of Nixon's visit to China, and finally created Nixon's visit to China, one of the most important political events of the 20th century, which is enough to go down in world history. This successful ice-breaking trip not only greatly satisfied Nixon, but also spread Kissinger's name all over the worldSo much so that to this day, many Chinese are full of praise for Kissinger.
Nixon's visit to China.
Of course, all the actions of Kissinger and Nixon** were ultimately only to serve the national interests of the United States, that isReshaping the international order and confronting the USSR. In 1973, when the Third Middle East War broke out and the situation in the Middle East deteriorated, Kissinger immediately flew to Saudi Arabia.
The Third Middle East War.
Today's Americans have to thank him, because it is after more than four months of negotiations and mediation between Kissinger and many Middle Eastern leaders such as the King of Saudi Arabia and SyriaThe United States has only completely established its oil hegemonyTo this day, the Middle East has had to settle oil in dollars, allowing privileges such as the stationing of American troops.
Kissinger meets with the Saudi king.
Since then, Kissinger has continued his diplomatic journeyPromoted the normalization of relations between the United States and Egypt, led the end of the Vietnam War, and signed an anti-missile agreement with the Soviet Unionand so on, all of which were written by Kissinger, so much so that the American "News Weekend" magazine at that time jokingly called him a "diplomatic superman". It seems that as soon as Kissinger comes out, there is nothing he cannot do.
Kissinger. In 1973, the United States withdrew its troops from Vietnam, and Kissinger was also appointed Secretary of State by Nixon, which is equivalent to *** long. Nixon's trust in him made him the most powerful secretary of state in American history. It is said that Nixon and Ford had to ask Kissinger about almost everything before they dared to make a decision, to use an inappropriate analogyKissinger is an American "Zhuge Liang" figure.
South Vietnamese Army. Kissinger was known for his profound knowledge, elegant conversation, and humorous style of speech, and everyone respectfully called him"Dr. Kissinger”。In 1974, however, Nixon was spying on Democratic candidates in 1972Watergate".**, Kissinger, who lost Nixon, instantly lost an extremely important supportAlthough Ford continued Nixon's policy, it was never so handy for Kissinger. After Nixon left office in 1974, Kissinger remained in the Ford cabinet for another two years, until the Democrat Carter won the election in 1976, and Kissinger's era ended.
In 1974, Kissinger visited Japan and made faces with a Japanese girl.
In fact, if it is a big country, the evaluation of Kissinger will be relatively highKissinger especially respects China as an adversary。But if it is a small country, especially a third world country, then Kissinger should only be evaluated as a "warmonger", because Kissinger's cooperation is in favor of the big countries, while the small countries are just pawnsIn South America, Kissinger orchestrated a number of bloody coups.
However, Kissinger is different from other American aides, and his profound knowledge and outstanding diplomatic skills have enabled him to continue to maintain a high popularity in academic circles and think tanks, and many strategic think tanks and companies have hired Kissinger with high salaries. He himself is also happy to be such an international broker, and after leaving office, he participated in international events such as the 911 investigation, the Iraq nuclear weapons investigation, and the 2002 Winter Olympics investigation.
Kissinger with former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
During the tenure of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, although he did not formally join the cabinet and did not have the power to participate in political decision-making, it seemed that the Republican Party had a face, and both Reagan and Bush Sr. gave him many positionsFor example, in 1983, he served as chairman of the Committee on Central American Issues, in 1986 he was chairman of the Committee on U.S.-India Relations, and in 1987 he was chairman of the Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Kissinger with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
But it is amazing that Kissinger believes in it as much."Fight but not break".strategists, who were asserted after entering the millennium"America First".The neoconservatives kicked out of the political inner circle, and the United States was caught in two quagmires in the war in Afghanistan and then the war in Iraq, so that the chaos in the world today has emerged in a wrong international situation.
Iraq War.
After talking about Kissinger's achievements, let's talk about his black material. Objectively speaking,Kissinger has never been a so-called friend of China, and the starting point of all his decisions is the interests of the United States, but Kissinger is a respectable opponentIt is already commendable that he can appreciate China, that he can respect China, and that he can maintain American interests in a legitimate and not sneaky way.
Kissinger. In a nutshell, Kissinger actually did a lot of dirty things during the Cold War, but it was by no means a dirty thing to cover up. valueIt should be noted that Kissinger has always taken the interests of the United States as the first interest。As a Jew, he only puts the national interests and hegemonic interests of the United States first, and as for the Jewish community and Israel, they can be put back and even serve the United States.
Kissinger. Kissinger's feelings about China are complicated, on the one hand, it is precisely because of China that he started a brilliant political career, so he has always had a good impression of China, and he also said:"There is no winner in provoking a conflict between China and the United States."；But on the other hand, Kissinger's move to break the ice between China and the United States is only a need for US interests, and it is definitely not a consideration from China's standpoint.
In 1971, ** met Kissinger.
To put it bluntly, everything Kissinger does is a political act, and there is no need to put money on a servant of American hegemony. You must know that Nixon, Kissinger's old master, as the United States, bullied the Third World everywhere abroad and continued to confront the Soviet Union;At home, the suppression of the progressive civil rights movement is by no means a good person.
Nixon in Vietnam.
Throughout his life, Kissinger had only one belief and only one thing to do, and that was to study how to maintain the imperialist hegemony of the United States and continue its global expansion. At that time, George W. Bush was mired in the war on terror, and the United States actually had no core interests in Iraq and Iran, which made Kissinger sit on pins and needles, and he did not think that it was bad for the United States to start a war, but that the core interests of the United States were not in the Middle East, but in the Asia-Pacific regionIn fact, Kissinger is the only American who has set his sights on suppressing a rising China
Kissinger's visit to China.
He was present in almost every overseas subversive movement of the United States during the Cold War. Under his scheme, the United States supported the Greek army to overthrow the elected Cypriot people, which led to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, so much so that Cyprus remains a state to this day. Cyprus is just a microcosm, and Kissinger's decisions have made third world countries miserable.
* Cyprus.
From 1969 to 1970, it was under his leadership that Nixon carried out carpet bombing against Cambodia, killing at least 150,000 people. In 1973, he plotted the overthrow of the Chilean leftAllende**supported Pinochet, who can be called the "executioner", to establish an army.
Allende who fought until the last moment.
However, Kissinger was still awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Kissinger and Pinochet.
Interestingly, in fact, Kissinger could not continue to serve as secretary of state after Nixon in 1976, and was swept away by the inner circle of American politics, and never entered politics again. But he still advises the United States, and Kissinger's death actually has no repercussions in the United States, and even many people think that Kissinger is a war criminalAnti-war activists even saw Kissinger's death as a precursor to the failure of America's war strategyOn the contrary, it has received an enthusiastic response in China, which is understandable, after all, Kissinger is the icebreaker of Sino-US relations.
In a word, this loyal servant of American hegemony has become famous in the end because of China.
Kissinger worked hard to create a powerful American hegemony, but he also watched the American empire to which he had dedicated his life to an uncontrollable declineKissinger has done a lifetime of dirty work for the United States, and it can be said that he has done his best to die, and he is still serving US diplomacy in the end, but in the end he is regarded by the Americans as the best because he promoted the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. American political scientist Yang Heping believes that Kissinger is a war maniac with a moderate appearance.
Chilean Pinochet.
Kissinger is one of the loyal US imperialist hegemonists, who is still highly active after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and puts forward the famous argument of "controlling the currency and controlling the country, controlling the oil and controlling the world, and controlling the food and controlling the population", but it is ignored by the United States today. Today, even the United States sneers at Kissinger, and China respects him the most, but it was also he who proposed".The United States and Russia jointly counterbalance China".。From the perspective of practical interests, historically, the United States took the initiative to show favor to China, not out of any moral need for "peaceful development," but out of the purpose of jointly resisting the Soviet Union.
Of course, no matter what the motive is, no one can deny Kissinger's objective historic contribution to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United StatesThis cannot be ignored either, history is objective. His book "On China" is almost the most objective evaluation of the new China in the United States today, and it has also made him famous among the new generation of young people in China. As the country that has benefited the most from globalization, China will certainly have an extremely important position in the new era, and Kissinger saw this very early on.
In the end, diplomacy was not his way of making a living, but his pure passion for life, and until his death, he had just visited China. As I said, Kissinger is just a respectable opponent, and by no means an "old friend" of China. Throughout his life, there were winds and waves, as well as ups and downs, and his passing meant that an old era was completely gone.