Henry Kissinger, legendary diplomat and foreign policy scholar, dies at 100

Henry Kissinger, one of the country's most important foreign policy thinkers for more than half a century, has died at the age of 100.

He died on Wednesday at his home in Connecticut, according a statement from his consulting firm, Kissinger Associates, Inc. A cause of death was not provided.

As a secretary of state and national security adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Kissinger played the major behind-the-scenes role in building the architecture that enabled more manageable relations with the Soviet Union, China, and major Arab nations. At the same time, he was closely associated with some of the most controversial U.S. foreign policy moves in recent decades, by promoting intensive bombing campaigns in Southeast Asia and repeatedly turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by governments perceived to be supportive of U.S. interests.

Though he never worked directly under a U.S. president again after Ford left office, Kissinger's achievements were long lasting. U.S. superpower relations to this day still bear his imprint, and he remained a sought-after voice on international affairs to the end of his life.

"Kissinger was the leading scholar-practitioner of the post-World War II era," said Richard Haass, president emeritus