“Once you’ve been to Cambodia, you’ll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands” –Anthony Bourdain

On November 29th, 2023, Henry Kissinger died at the age of 100. The internet rejoices. For years, Kissinger had been a living embodiment of evil that would just not die, in the realm of online discourse. But at last, the reaper finally got him.

Of course, all the celebration of this man’s death overlooks one obvious fact. By all measurable standards, Kissinger, a career war criminal and routine accessory to mass murder, won. He was able to live comfortably to an age decades older than average, as the last surviving member of Richard Nixon’s cabinet. He was constantly praised and esteemed by the American political class, far away from the countless deaths and destruction he oversaw.

In 2016, I reviewed Christopher Hitchens’ 2001 book The Trial of Henry Kissinger, which shares its title with an accompanying documentary. I want to take the occasion to revisit the topic. This was at a time in which Kissinger had a renewed relevance in the discourse, as the presumed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was a known associate of Kissinger, who vacationed with him and bragged about his approval of her job as secretary of state under Barack Obama. The election was ultimately won by Donald Trump, who met with Kissinger at the White House shortly afterward. Trump also described Kissinger as a longtime friend of his.

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