Adviser to presidents
THE US national security adviser to former president Jimmy Carter during the Iran hostage crisis, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has died, aged 89.
Polishborn Mr Brzezinski was a key figure in the Carter administration (197781). He had earlier served as a counsellor to president Lyndon B. Johnson (196668), and his strong dislike of the Soviet Union influenced much of his advice.
After the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, he encouraged Mr Carter to spend billions on military aid for Islamic militants fighting them.
In the belief that the communist Vietnamese could take over Cambodia, he also tacitly encouraged Chinese support of brutal Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, according to the New York Times.
And in 1980, afraid that sanctions could push Iran into the arms of the Soviet Union, he also helped initiate the disastrous commando mission sent to rescue US hostages trapped at the US embassy in Iran, which ended when eight servicemen were killed before they even reached Teheran.
According to Wikipedia, other major foreign policy events during Mr Brzezinski’s time in office included the normalisation of relations with the People’s Republic of China (and severing of ties with the Republic of China on Taiwan); the signing of the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (Salt II); the brokering of the Camp David Accords; encouraging dissidents in Eastern Europe and emphasising human rights in order to undermine the influence of the Soviet Union and the signing of the TorrijosCarter Treaties relinquishing US control of the Panama Canal after 1999.
On her Instagram page, Mr Brzezinski’s daughter, Mika, wrote:‘‘My father passed away peacefully tonight. He was known to his friends as Zbig, to his grandchildren as Chief and to his wife as the enduring love of her life.’’ — DPA
Former US national security adviser