Irish Examiner view: Henry Kissinger's bitter legacy

Although he earned plaudits as a negotiator, there was a far darker side to Henry Kissinger’s long career, which led to him being labelled a war criminal

Then newly-appointed US secretary of state Henry Kissinger with president Richard Nixon in September 1973. Picture: AP 

The passing of Henry Kissinger, former US secretary of state, has the neatness of a novel’s conclusion. Kissinger died at the age of 100, and a century seems apposite for someone so deeply involved in conflicts and confrontations across the globe.

In that time, Kissinger wore many hats — elder statesman and adviser to successive US administrations, unlikely mainstay of 1970s gossip columns, and noted historian.