WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition President and CEO, Liz Schrayer, released the following statement on the passing of Dr. Henry Kissinger: 

The USGLC joins our nation in remembrance of Henry Kissinger, a singular diplomat and decades-long member of USGLC’s National Advisory Council, who passionately believed in the importance of American global engagement and that our nation could never afford to retreat into isolationism as it had before World War II, when he fled Nazi Germany to the United States as a refugee. 

The only American ever to serve simultaneously as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Kissinger left an enduring mark on America’s foreign policy in the twentieth century both in government and through his extensive writings after leaving public office, with an outsized belief in the power of diplomacy. Serving in the cabinets of both Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Kissinger was the architect of America’s landmark reopening of relations with China, the U.S. détente with the Soviet Union, the delicate shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East, and a painful end to America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. 

Dr. Kissinger played a unique role with the USGLC in launching our organization’s now signature election education initiative in 2008, to help showcase the centrality of diplomacy and development to our foreign policy. Anchoring our Fall 2008 kickoff in Philadelphia, alongside former Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin, Dr. Kissinger captivated a packed audience on the University of Pennsylvania campus – despite it being Game One of the World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies – sharing that “global problems… can only be dealt with on a global basis.” Kissinger continued stating that, “The real problems arise when you have an issue that is diplomatic, development, all these elements wrapped together… you cannot segment out one of them and say, ‘That’s the one that we like to do.’” 

Dr. Kissinger’s steadfast belief in the United States as an influential leader brought presidents, heads of state, and candidates for office to his door to seek his counsel over the years – along with a fair share of vocal critics who will continue to debate all of the complexities of his service. Undeniably, Dr. Kissinger’s standing as one of America’s most notable diplomats will reserve a unique position in our coalition and the history of our nation. 

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