World Affairs

Kissinger on Syria: Absolute Victory for Anybody Would Lead to Bloodbath

November 18, 2013

In the video above, Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger describes the crisis in Syria and offers a solution to resolving the civil war there.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently shared his take on the civil war in Syria during a wide-ranging conversation with Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson. The Nobel Peace Prize winner made the remarks at the Institute’s 30th Annual Awards Dinner, in which he received the 2013 Global Leadership Award. Famed musician and educator Wynton Marsalis was also honored with the 2013 Henry Crown Leadership Award.

“I have felt all along that if one really wanted to stop bloodshed in Syria, one should look for a solution — there’s no brilliant solution, but one should look for an outcome — in which the various sectarian and national groups can be more or less autonomous, and more or less self-governing. An absolute victory for anybody would lead to a bloodbath,” Kissinger said.

View the full video of Kissinger’s remarks on our Institute Multimedia page.