Henry Kissinger Dies at Age 100

President Barack Obama meets with, left to right, former Defense Secretary William Perry; former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Georgia); former Secretary of State George P. Shultz; and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (far right) in the Oval Office, to discuss the U.S. non-proliferation policy, May 19, 2009 (Official White House photo by Pete Souza).

Former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, who was the face of foreign policy for many years, dies at age 100.

Article by Isabel Cantor, Associate Reporter

WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, known for his influence on foreign policy, died Wednesday at the age of 100. His dedication to global affairs was clear through all of his efforts to resolve international conflict over the years, specifically under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Kissinger was the face of the nation’s foreign policy in a time where the U.S. was removing itself from involvement with Vietnam, as well as attempting to smooth things over with China.

“Few people were better students of history - and even fewer people did more to shape history - than Henry Kissinger,” said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a statement released Thursday. He also pointed out the diplomat’s “intellect” and “strategic acumen.”

Kissinger was Jewish, and he fled Nazi Germany during the Holocaust in his early years. Years after his arrival in the U.S., he jumped into politics, first serving as national security adviser, and then Secretary of State, all over the course of eight years. He even held both titles for some time during those years.

Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for his work in negotiating the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. Throughout his role in foreign policy, he conducted the first “shuttle diplomacy” in the Middle East as an attempt to make peace, which ended the Yom Kippur War, and initiated the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, opening relations between the U.S. and China. These are just a few of his important actions that greatly shaped the history of not only the nation, but the whole globe.