Henry Kissinger was an influential but polarizing U.S. statesman who served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford in the 1970s. He played a major role shaping foreign policy, including détente with the Soviet Union and opening relations with China.However, Kissinger also significantly escalated U.S. military involvement in Vietnam and oversaw secret bombing campaigns in Cambodia which killed thousands of civilians. Critics accuse him of war crimes and backing repressive regimes in Latin America, Africa and Asia.Kissinger was lauded by supporters as a brilliant realist strategist, but vilified by human rights advocates for his reliance on cold power calculations over moral concerns. After leaving office, he founded a lucrative international consulting firm Kissinger Associates that kept him actively engaged with global leaders.Now in his 100s, Kissinger's outsized diplomatic career left a divisive legacy with his policies and actions praised by some but reviled by others as war crimes for which he avoided accountability. He remained an influential voice in geopolitics until his death, with his role in key historical events of the 20th century still hotly debated.