Review
THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER
Featuring Christopher Hitchens, Alexander Haig, Lewis Lapham and others
Directed by Eugene Jarecki
Wednesday, February 26
Murray Fraser Hall 162 (U of C)
Is Henry Kissinger a war criminal? That’s the question at the heart of The Trials of Henry Kissinger, a bold, uncompromising documentary that alleges the former U.S. secretary of state (1973-77) and assistant to the president for national security affairs (1969-75) should be brought up on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Many will see the documentary as old news – it’s largely inspired by British journalist Christopher Hitchens’s recent and similarly titled book. For others, like former Kissinger aide Alexander Haig, Kissinger is an American hero, whose diplomatic efforts in ending the Vietnam War earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. How could he possibly be guilty?
The Trials of Henry Kissinger presents a mountain of evidence against Kissinger, alleging that he acted to prolong the Vietnam War in order to consolidate his own power. The film also alleges that Kissinger orchestrated secret U.S. bombings in Cambodia in 1969 and that he sanctioned Indonesian president Suharto to carry out genocidal measures in East Timor in 1975. Despite all that, perhaps the most damning allegation is that Kissinger helped plan the assassination of Chilean General René Schneider in 1973, paving the way for General Augusto Pinochet to overthrow the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende.
Kissinger himself once said that statesmen should never be accused of war crimes because they are often forced to choose between evils. Whether one believes he’s innocent of such crimes largely depends whether one agrees with him. In today’s climate of international justice, the question must ultimately be left to the courts – and, so far, despite subpoenas, Kissinger hasn’t been tried, most likely because he’s a prominent American.
If he is ever brought to trial, he’d better hope that this film isn’t presented as evidence for the prosecution. |
