Christopher Hitchens Trials of Kissinger p1

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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• christopher
• hitchens
• henry
• kissinger

[SherlockHamlet]

Erm...

General Alexander Haig, sir...

Your complete lack of eloquence sets you up pretty poorly against Chistopher Hitchens...when the best you can do to defend your veiw is to attack the other person's background by saying they "suck the sewer-pipe," you've failed, I'm afraid.

Now, Henry Kissinger might be guilty or innocent, dunno, I'll have to watch the documentrary through and do some reading and see...

But I'm just saying, lest you receive upon theee the harshest of Hitchslaps...

[bristle420]

He sucks on the sewer pipe? The fuck kind of an insult is that?

[ZionistAreNazis1]

i hope this Khazarian Kike Kissinger rots in Hell!! he was responsible for some of the worst crimes of the 20th century no wonder he doest travel abroad any more his afraid his gonna be arrested for crimes against humanity

FUCKING BLOOD SUCKING KIKE GO BURN IN HELL!!!

[fonriche]

The real name of talmudic zionist chazarian asian judeo is Benjamin Eleazar.

I hope you rott in hell.

[FizzFizzFizzFizzFizz]

that guy has a pretty good english accent!

[PrinceSamanti]

Kissinger is a criminal scum bag but he is American so he will escape justice...........

Too bad justice does not exist on this planet.....

[TheAllchemist]

Arrogance is believing we have the right to invade another country and "save" them when our own government hasn't been able to comprehend what freedom or democracy is. The ends do not justify the means when a super power LIES and loses the respect and trust of its own people.

[TheDangerMouseUK]

@ChaosDynamics Not really, 1) It wasn't communism, it was state capitalism 2) If it lead to policies such as the disgusting Vietnam War then no, it wasn't necessary to destroy countries and lives.

[TheAllchemist]

@ChaosDynamics He didn't "prevent" anything, he purposefully contrived the Gulf of Tonkin. Kissinger has molded and devolved himself into the troll he truly is today. Al Gore with his manipulation of the carbon tax and the benefit he will accrue if that is suckered thru. Devolving trolls that should have never been put into positions of power.

[blessedfrog]

telling point there - k didn't sue for libel -

and what is Haig doing here? He's nothing substantial, relevent or factual to say - so he calls CH a 'sewer pipe sucker?'

[HugoBossUnzipped]

haig is such a conservative. If Hitchens was "sucking the sewer pipe" he was having to stand on haigs shoulders to do it.

[HugoBossUnzipped]

kissinger isn't anymore guilty of war crimes than any member of bushco, which says much about the culpability of American administrations for more than 60 yrs.