Former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz dies at age 100
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - George Shultz, the U.S. secretary of state who survived bitter infighting in President Ronald Reagan’s administration to help forge a new era in American-Soviet relations and bring on the end of the Cold War, died on Saturday at age 100, the California-based Hoover Institute said.
A man of broad experience and talents, Shultz achieved success in statesmanship, business and academia. Lawmakers praised him for opposing as sheer folly the sale of arms to Iran that were the cornerstone of the Iran-Contra scandal that marred Reagan’s second term in office.
His efforts as America’s top diplomat from 1982 to 1989 under the Republican Reagan helped lead to the conclusion of the fourdecade-long Cold War that began after World War Two, pitting the United States and its allies against the Soviet Union and the communist bloc and generating fears of a global nuclear conflict.
“He focused on the possibilities of what could be, unhindered by the impasses or deadlocks of the past. That was the vision and dedication that helped guide our nation through some of its most dangerous periods and ultimately helped create the opening that led to the end the Cold War,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Shultz, a steady, patient and low-key man who became one of the longestserving secretaries of state, steered to completion a historic treaty scrapping superpower medium-range nuclear missiles and set a pattern for dealings between Moscow and Washington that made human rights a routine agenda item.
He achieved the rare feat of holding four Cabinet posts, also serving as secretary of the Treasury, as secretary of labor and as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
His record as secretary of state was tempered by his failure to bring peace to the Middle East and Central America, areas in which he personally invested considerable effort.
Shultz remained active into his 90s through a position at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution think tank and various boards. He also wrote books and took stands against the Cuban embargo, climate change and Britain’s departure from the European Union.
His most recent book, written with James Timbie, a longtime State Department adviser and published in November 2020 ahead of Shultz’s 100th birthday, was entitled “A Hinge of History.” It suggested the world was at a pivot point not unlike the one it faced at the end of World War Two.
“We seem to be in an upset state of affairs where it’s hard to get things accomplished,” he told the New York Times, lamenting the Trump administration’s resistance to international accords. “They seem to be skeptical of these agreements, of any agreement. Agreements aren’t usually perfect. You don’t get everything you want. You compromise a little bit. But they’re way better than nothing.”