Stephen's Reviews > The Trial of Henry Kissinger

1.5 stars. This was a very frustrating book to read. In each of the chapters (except chapter 8 on East Timor), Hitchens makes his allegations against Kissenger and then proceeds to layout a seeming plethora of information to support the allegations.The problem is, the information presented does not confirm or, in the case of the Kissenger's alleged involvement in the murder of Greek journalist Elias Demetracopoulos, even support the allegations made. I kept finding myself saying "ok, then what...finish the argument." He never did. It was like 2 out of 3 parts of a syllogism that was never completed.

In my opinion, the one exception to this lack of "closing the logical argument" occurred in Chapter 8 dealing with the invasion of East Timor by Indonesia. Here I think hitchens makes a credible case to support his allegations that Kissenger knew about the invasion of East Timor before it happened and was actively against to any action by the U.S. in opposition to the invasion. That said, even though the incident certainly confirms the commonly held opinion of Kissenger as a cold, calculating practitioner of realpolitik , if Kissenger's actions in that matter constitute war crimes then you would likely have to include many other U.S. administrations including both Bill Clinton's for the atrocities committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and Reagan's administration for its support of Saddam Hussein in the early 1980s despite what they knew he was doing to his own people (i.e. the Kurds). I am just not willing to go that far even when the actions, on their face appear to lack a moral center.

Don't get me wrong, Kissenger may have done everything he is alleged to have done in this book and, if true, he should certainly be held accountable. I just did not see the evidence presented in this book.