Christopher Hitchens Discusses Why He Believes Henry Kissinger Should Be Tried for War Crimes

Interview by Between The Lines' Scott Harris.

The effort by human rights groups around the world to hold accountable tyrants and dictators for their past crimes has recently gotten a boost. The detention of former Chilean ruler General Augusto Pinochet in Britain and the arrest of Yugoslavia's former strongman Slobodan Milosevic and his transfer to the Hague to stand trial are two of the most dramatic examples of a new resolve to bring to justice those leaders who have committed gross human rights violations in time of war or in the name of preserving their own power.

But author and columnist Christopher Hitchens believes that in our quest to punish those who are responsible for the murder and untold suffering of thousands of innocents, we here in the U.S. ignore our own demons. In his book, "The Trial of Henry Kissinger," Hitchens points the finger squarely at former Secretary of State Kissinger who served under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Hitchens accuses Kissinger of complicity in assassinations, human rights abuses and undermining democracy in Chile, East Timor and Greece. He also charges the Nobel Prize winner of sabotaging the 1968 peace negotiations to end the Vietnam War in order to benefit Nixon's presidential campaign.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Hitchens who explains why he believes Kissinger is a "one man international rolling crime wave" who should be tried for war crimes. "The Trial of Henry Kissinger" is published by Verso Books(A RealAudio Version of this interview may be found At  http://www.btlonline.org) .

Related links: Excerpts from the book "The Trial of Henry Kissinger," by Christopher Hitchens, Verso Books, 2001

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