The Trials of Henry Kissinger
by Eugene Jarecki
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alexander Haig, Amy Goodman, Anna Chennault, Brian Cox, Seymour HershDirector: Eugene Jarecki
Producer: Eugene Jarecki
Producer: Alex Gibney
Writer: Alex Gibney
Producer: David Holbrooke
Producer: Jennie Amias
Producer: Roy Ackerman
Producer: Susan Motamed
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 80 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-08-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: First Run Features
Movie Reviews of The Trials of Henry Kissinger
Movie Review: Fascinating insight into the world of power politics
Summary: 5 Stars
For decades now, there has been a tug of war between those who advocate 'realpolitik' and others who contend that nation states have the same duties and responsibilities to each other as human beings do in their interpersonal relationships. Perhaps nowhere does the conflict between these two perspectives collide more dramatically than in contemplating Henry Kissinger's role in forming US foreign policy throughout the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
Having read the Christopher Hitchens article on which this documentary was based, I was both surprised and pleased to find this a far more nuanced and thoughtful consideration of Kissinger's impact on US foreign policy, one that remained both significant and controversial for many years longer than he actually served in any kind of formal role. The film doesn't duck away from the question of whether Kissinger's strategy of the means -- secret negotiations, covert warfare, etc. -- justified the ends that he felt was the most vital goal of all: protecting the strategic interests of the United States. It's a debate that persists to this day, in the context of the so-called war on terror, and understanding what Kissinger believed to be acceptable in pursuit of a 'higher' objective is informative, regardless of which side of the spectrum the viewer belongs to.
But while Kissinger's defenders can at least find a rationalization (and a long historical tradition) for his geopolitical manoeuverings in Indochina and East Timor, other aspects of Henry Kissinger disclosed in this documentary are far more damning. In his public pronouncements and published writings, Kissinger has taken the moral high ground, claiming that his actions were always motivated by 'the greater good'. The evidence assembled by the filmmakers appears to contradict this outright, particularly with respect to the Vietnam peace accord finally reached in Paris in 1973 -- on terms no better than the US could have secured nearly five years previously. The film demonstrates -- with the help of former Kissinger aides -- that personal ambition played a significant role in Kissinger both undermining the earlier accord and negotiating the second. Moving on to events in Chile, and the coup that deposed democratically-elected president Salvador Allende, the evidence is still more damning: campaign donations from US businesses to the Nixon regime were the motivating force for CIA and other covert involvement in destabilizing Allende's government, with Kissinger clearly feeling the need to protect his own position within that power structure.
I'm not sure that the final word has yet been written about Kissinger -- I await the day when his personal papers will finally be made available to researchers, five years after his death. It would be too simple to dismiss him as purely evil, notwithstanding the fact that had he been a publicly-elected official, he would long since have been called to account by Congress for illegal actions such as the invasion of Cambodia. (One of the most chilling moments in this documentary, to me, was Kissinger's almost Jesuitical defense of those military actions.) Ultimately, Kissinger remains fascinating to many of us not because of his actions -- many politicians in the Bush 2 regime have followed eagerly in his footsteps -- but because of his odd combination of intellectual brilliance and utter indifference to the human consequences of his realpolitik.
The one flaw? This film assembles the evidence against Kissinger and even-handedly gives the man's admirers a chance to defend him. But there is at least one gaping hole: Kissinger's China policy, which, as the film does note, was part of his effort to cope with an inherently unstable bipolar world of two superpowers. The gradual rapprochement between the US and China has had far greater ramifications for the world in which we live than any other of his actions, for better or worse, although it's less dramatic material than the human rights violations that followed the Pinochet regime in Chile or the horrors of the Vietnam War. This would have been a stronger and more complete film had its producers found a way to incorporate the China story into the narrative.
This documentary is a great start for those who don't recall firsthand the events that made Kissinger such a lightning rod for controversy, and who didn't grow up in the geopolitical world that formed his philosophy and policies. Those who did experience the world as Kissinger did are likely to divide into two camps; those who emerged challenging the political system in the 1960s will love it and those who cling to ideals of American exceptionalism will love it. To me, it's simply a fascinating look at one of the most intriguing characters we have had on the public stage in America, and a sharp reminder that while we may deplore the lack of intellect in our leaders, there may be such a thing as too much intellect and not enough heart...
For those looking for more insight into the war in Cambodia, I'd suggest reading Sideshow, Revised Edition: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia. Daniel Ellsberg offers an intriguing look at Nixon in his memoirs, including thoughts about the addictive nature of secrecy and power at the highest levels of government: see Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers. For a thoughtful look at Kissinger's role in the China rapprochement, see Nixon and Mao: The Week That Changed the World or Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power. While many people will automatically turn to Hitchens' lively attack on Kissinger after viewing this documentary, Walter Isaacson's biography remains the one to read for anyone genuinely looking for insight into this enigmatic figure rather than merely confirmation of their own existing beliefs.
Summary of The Trials of Henry Kissinger
Even as it preaches to those who will relish its witch-hunting zeal, The Trials of Henry Kissinger makes a potent assertion that the legendary diplomat and former Secretary of State is guilty of crimes against humanity. Produced for the BBC, seductively narrated by actor Brian Cox, and based on the scathing book by Christopher Hitchens (a Kissinger-bashing journalist featured heavily here in talking-head interviews), this film is clearly biased against its target, but there's ample documentation to support its claims that Kissinger prolonged the Vietnam war and orchestrated the illegal and indiscriminate bombing of Cambodia; supervised the 1973 coup against democratically elected Chilean president Allende; and played a role in U.S.-backed atrocities in East Timor. Expert interviews on both sides of the political fence (but mostly damning Kissinger) make this a compelling, information-packed example of situational ethics in action; additional viewings simultaneously deepen the film's conviction and reveal the weakness of its one-sided embrace of Hitchens. Either way, this is essential viewing for anyone interested in the labyrinthine machinations of international power. --Jeff ShannonDocumentary DVD Video
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