Portrait of Henry Kissinger
Center-right · Politician · From history

Henry Kissinger

US National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, 1923 to 2023

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Architect of détente with the Soviet Union and the opening to China, and a figure of lasting controversy for policies in Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile and elsewhere.

Henry Kissinger sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly free market and leaning authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly institutional on institutions, strongly interventionist on interventionism and strongly strength-first on war and peace.

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Where Henry Kissinger sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceStrongly strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionSlightly secular
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismStrongly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Henry Kissinger

Sébastien Lecornu Prime Minister of France, 2025 to present98%Colin Powell US Secretary of State, 2001 to 200598%Theresa May Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 2016 to 201998%John McCain US Senator from Arizona, 1987 to 201898%Dwight D. Eisenhower US President, 1953 to 196197%John Major Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1990 to 199797%Harry S. Truman US President, 1945 to 195397%Liz Cheney US Representative from Wyoming, 2017 to 202397%

People furthest from Henry Kissinger

Leo Tolstoy Russian novelist and moral thinker, 1828 to 19103%Emma Goldman Russian-born anarchist and writer, 1869 to 19403%John Lennon British musician and peace activist, 1940 to 19805%Murray Bookchin American social theorist, 1921 to 20065%

Political views closest to Henry Kissinger

Hawkish realismSees the world as a contest between states, where military strength and alliances secure…98%NeoconservatismPairs free markets and traditional values with an assertive, democracy-promoting foreign…97%Realism in foreign policySees international politics as a contest of power and interests in which states act to…96%Liberal conservatismCombines free markets and limited government with respect for institutions, tradition…94%

Read more about Henry Kissinger

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.