Christopher Hitchens Trials of Kissinger p7

Based on a book by journalist Christopher Hitchens, The Trials of Henry Kissinger, a documentary by Eugene Jarecki, argues that the former U.S. Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize recipient should be tried for war crimes for his role in the overthrow of the democratically elected government in Chile in 1973, the secret bombing of Cambodia in 1969, and U.S. support for Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor, events that led to the slaughter of millions. Applying the same legal standards to which Pinochet and Milosevic have been held, Hitchens branded Dr. Kissinger as a war criminal who should be brought to justice for crimes against humanity. Narrated by actor Brian Cox, the documentary is presented in lively "60 Minutes" fashion using archival footage, background music, and a combination of interviews with Kissinger associates and journalists such as Seymour Hersh, William Safire, and Hitchens himself.

The film attempts to maintain a balanced tone but Dr. Kissinger's only defenders are former staff members William Shawcross and Alexander Haig and there are no interviews with Dr. Kissinger himself (who refused to be interviewed). A refugee from Nazi Germany, Kissinger. rose to prominence in American politics thanks to his realpolitik approach to improving America's power position in the world relative to Russia and China. One of the main contentions of the film is that Kissinger, as a member of the Johnson team at the Paris Peace Talks, was also a secret advisor to Richard Nixon's presidential campaign of 1968. In that double role, he torpedoed the Paris Peace Talks by persuading South Vietnam Premier Thiéu to back out of the talks in order to prevent the Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey from taking political advantage of a Vietnam settlement before the election.

Another supporting piece of evidence is that Kissinger bombed Cambodia without the knowledge of Congress, an action that led to the death of 500,000 Cambodians, the destabilization of the country and the rise of the bloody Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot. Jarecki also argues that Kissinger's clandestine support of Indonesia President Suharto's invasion of East Timor suppressed an independent movement and led to the deaths of 100,000 Timorese. Jarecki's case is built on a series of recently declassified documents that contradict Kissinger's written memoirs and show that Washington had supported Suharto using American weapons designed only for defensive purposes. They also indicate that Kissinger played a major role in Chile in the kidnapping and murder of General René Schneider and was deeply involved in the overthrow of the government of Salvador Allendé in Chile on September 11, 1973. Jarecki interviews Gen. Schneider's son who reveals that he is considering pressing charges against Kissinger for his part in the murder.

The Trials of Henry Kissinger is timely and the idea that statesman should be held accountable for their actions under International Law is a compelling issue that deserves to be debated in public forums.

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• hitchens
• henry
• kissinger

[BillKiernan]

to quote hitchens regarding another douchebag, "it's unfortunate there is not a hell for these people to go to"

[croydonrudeness]

He uses his favours, kickbacks and backhanders to his cronies round the world to gain access, and certain firms are so venal they will pay this shill to get that access. What a sad sad world it is.

[pinoy426]

this is getting difficult to watch... to know that there is a person responsible for so much pain and suffering and he will most probably not receive any retribution... is quite upsetting.

[GeneralSmanTheBest]

@killsourenemy But the Americans have never faced anything like the horrors that they yearly inflict on others. America need a good violent invasion by say, Russia and or China. Once America loses a couple of million people and has the destruction and horror of war visited upon them, then they can justify their actions.

[SherlockHamlet]

WOW...

As potentially despicable as Kissinger might be in the light of all of this...

There's still almost a weird, twisted appreciation of just how Machiavellian and devilishly-intelligent the man was...

He's like a real-life Bond villian, isn't he?

[RUBENSolol]

This was probably the most idiotic covert operation ever. Schneider himsel said that: "...in the case that the State stopped acting within their own legality....In that case the armed forces have a higher loyalty to the people and are free to decide an abnormal situation beyond the framework of the law"

He wouldn´t allow the Chile to become second Cuba and he wouldn´t slaughter thousands of people like Pinochet did...

[istocco]

Estos hijos de puta, nunca hay que olvidar lo q los yanquis hicieron en Chile...la caradureza de estos diablos -Nixon, Ford, Kissinger- es infinita. No me extraña que haya sido asesor de George W.

[ErnilEnNaur]

@IstilGotGame Somebody forgot his medication this morning...

[timewilltell7]

@killsourenemy

who ist started with is not the fucking point

he is evil and thats that - like brzezinsky is too and cecil rhodes - we wont shut up and will make a program about each of these reptiles

[Relugus]

Kissinger's remark about Chile's elections sums up American government's contempt for democracy. Just about all the dictators in Latin America, Pinochet, Videla, Trujilo, etc, were backed by the "freedom-loving" USA.

[incarnedine]

@FlamingCannibal You best hope they don't meet the same fate as the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany then.

[killsourenemy]

@killsourenemy Oh I also forgot to say contradictory.