@Sean oSuilleabhain: He didn’t start the Killing Fields..the communists did that all by themselves. In fact he helped remove Pol Pot. Just stating a fact!

@Deirdre Moffat: It was the Vietnamese that removed Pol Pot.

You know, those communists.

@Deirdre Moffat: It was his illegal, under international law, bombing campaign – 3 million tons of ordnance dropped and up to a million estimated to be killed, coupled with the nefarious actions of the CIA that led to the fall of a completely peaceful and stable regime in Cambodia and the installation of a “US friendly” leader. The ousted Sihanouk called on the country’s rural masses to support his coalition government in exile, and as a result the previously rag tag Khmer Rouge gained popularity with the rural population, and eventually power. Kissinger’s fingerprints are all over the killing fields, it takes serious revision on your part to see it differently. His unexploded cluster bombs still maim farmers and their family’s to this day.

@Deirdre Moffat: He did, albeit not directly intentional as is always the case with US foreign policies(they tend to have unexpected outcome).

His illegal bombings were directly responsible for the mass recruitment of the Khmer Rouge, (Whom were not that much of a threat and would never have had the numbers they had but for US policies), that coupled with the overthrow of the leader of Cambodia for a more US friendly one, led said leader to endorse the Khmer Rouge, thus leading to more recruitment.

In short, H.K. policies and that of the US were directly responsible for the killing fields. See “operation Menu”.

@David: I just said all that :-)

@Deirdre Moffat: The U.S . Certainly caused the genocide that was to become the killing fields.. The invasion of Cambodia by the U.S. and the setting up of a puppet government set the stage…The U.S. abandoned Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos…After years of fighting a war they could not win.. Like Iraq, . Afghanistan, the U.S. arrived, destroyed, left. Kissinger was instrumental in creating this policy.

@Deirdre Moffat: The Vietnamese communists actually liberated Cambodia from the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, while the West continued to support and recognise them as the government of Cambodia for many years at the UN.

@David: One man not celebrating is the murderous fascist Putin.

Putin, meanwhile, said in a message to Kissinger’s wife that he was “a wise and far-sighted statesman” and his name “is inextricably linked with a pragmatic foreign policy line, which at one time made it possible to achieve detente in international tensions and reach the most important Soviet-American agreements that contributed to the strengthening of global security.”

Translation: He was ok with imperial conquests by the ‘great powers’ regardless of the war crimes committed in their execution.

@Bobby Digital: Why are you telling me this?

@Sean oSuilleabhain: The Killing Fields has nothing to do with Kissinger.

@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: He laid the ground work for the genocide that followed in Cambodia. The U.S. and the West actually supported Pol Pot…It was the Vietnamese Army that liberated Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge…The Millions dead , Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos can be squarely blamed on the U.S.and the policy created by Kissinger. A warmonger.

@Pól Pot: Agreed…The American Dream…So called because you have to be asleep to believe it…

@AnthonyK: From a nuclear Armageddon standpoint, the world is far safer now than during the cold war.

@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: But going backwards.

@Deirdre Moffat: He, like the U.S. government even to this day believes in destroying a country in order to save it.

@David O Brien: And they are right. Let’s hope they destroy Iran next.

@David O Brien: still not sure how him being a German Jew makes that a conflict of interest, in anyway.

@The Anti palestine And Islam: How is the weather in Tel Aviv today?

@The Anti palestine And Islam: The last time U.S. interference in Iran didn’t work out to well. The U.S. overthrow of the democratically elected government who was replaced by the U.S. puppet despot called the Shah..look where that led..The U.S. abandoned the Shah very fast when it came to it. Same as they abandoned Iraq Afghanistan when it suited them..The turmoil at Kabul airport was a reminder of the turmoil on the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. Don’t think the (Great Satan) as Iran called it will be destroyed Iran anytime soon.

@Donal Desmond: You’re wasting your time with him/her.

@uUleRhCu: Hamas are fighting for their country, they are allowed under international law to target Soldiers (just not civilians).

@uUleRhCu: I haven’t seen or heard one Irish person celebrating Hamas. Your anti Irish outpourings get more ridiculous by the day

@uUleRhCu: And just why do Hamas even exist, John?

Is it not because the Israeli colonist drove the Palestinian people off their land to create their state of Israel.
Their state of Israel exists on the homeland of the Palestinian people.

Which they are perfectly entitled to fight for.

@uUleRhCu: I don’t think it’s true to say Hamas are “flavour of the month” in Ireland at the moment. You are misrepresenting peoples outrage at the slaughter of civilians as something else entirely, guess it fits your narrative. And to preempt yours or others predictable response, yes I abhor and condemn the slaughter of Israeli civilians by Hamas also.

@Setanta O’Toole: The every day Palestinian support Hamas. They get hate they deserve.

@Michael Burke: Slaughter of civilians? You mean death cause by the Hamas right? Because it’s the Hamas who blocks them from leaving.
It’s the Hamas who uses school/hospital/private homes to launch their rockets.

The civilians death are on Hamas, what do you IDF to do ? Try to not do anything while they need to save their people?

Gaza is the new Dresden, people voted for them in 2006, they have more than 70% approval, they get what they deserve 100%.

@uUleRhCu: Kissinger had a lot to do with the present state of affairs concerning the terrorist state of Israel. Perhaps you would like to check out kissinger and U.S. policy regarding Israel ..especially Kissingers input.

@The Anti palestine And Islam: do you have kids? Are they vehemently fianna fail or sinn fein, or do they not have a breeze and prefer paw patrol and the like? So no, they are not getting what they deserve. Who else would you have them support, the apatheid state that is bombing their hospitals and refugee camps? Tis easy from the cheap seats.

@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: odd, but should we ignore ancient history just so your narrative fits? Let’s ignore the 12 Tribes of Israel or even the Iron Age lands of Israel and Judah. Think you may need to study a bit more history.

@The Anti palestine And Islam: You and I will not agree, 5000 dead children support Hamas?

@The Anti palestine And Islam: You Zionists can stay off this chat. Israel is the w a r c r i m i n a l.

@uUleRhCu: exactly people are all banging on about poor palastinians they have sided with Hamas……did they really think Israel would just sit back

@uUleRhCu: Your parents really did a number on you.

@uUleRhCu: “We” – you aren’t Irish.

@The Anti palestine And Islam: The Terrorist state of Israel existed before the emergence of Hamas. Israel has become the Facist state that once sought to exterminate them.

@Paul Fahey: @Paul Fahey: Ancient history?

So what you’re saying is that if people who claimed a heritage from those who left these shores long ago decided to come back, come back and overthrow our government, come back and overthrow our government and establish their own state on our land, and drive us off our land, that would be OK with you?

That is what the Israeli colonial invader did to the Palestinian people.
And did so using terrorist groups, such as Haganah, The Stern Gang and Irgun.

You also conveniently forget that this ancient land of the Jews was called Judah, and was located in the highlands west of the Jordan. It didn’t have a coastline on the Med. Or the Red Sea either for that matter.
Yet the modern state of Israel was established around Tel Aviv, on the Med coast, and has expanded to take all of Palestine, and part of Jordan.

But the descendants of those who left Judah long ago still have no claim to that land, do they?
Just as the descendants of those who left Ireland long ago have no claim to our land.

Is it because most of the descendants of those that remained had the gall to change their religion – some the Christianity, most to Islam – that you believe they lose their rights to their homeland?

@uUleRhCu: I haven’t seen anyone celebrating hamas in this country. Would you care to back up that disgusting assertion with some facts please?

@Jimmy Wallace: Quick reminder that there were Viking/Norman mercenary ships hired by both sides at the Battle of Clontarf. In fairness, the only ones that settled here were better behaved!

@Paul Fahey: here’s a reality check for you…anyone can CONVERT to Judaism and by virtue arrive in Israel and claim a piece of Palestine. This isn’t about religion, it is pure 100% colonialism. If yo don’t understand colonialism, there’s search engines that will help educate you!

And Yes, absolutely, we should ignore ancient history, it has nothing what-so-ever to do with colonial occupation.

Your logic would allow a random Scandinavian to state that he/she has an historical claim to Dublin.

@and the hit’s just keep coming: Why doesn’t the Israeli army go in and actually target Hamas instead of carpet bombing civilians?

@Noel Doherty: Unfortunately Kissinger caused a lot of these changes…..His political policy was responsible for millions of deaths and the destruction of countries. Kissinger is partly responsible for the turmoil in the Middle East to this day. He certainly will not be mourned in South East Asia, South America, Middle East.

@Art Vandelay: :o appears you’re on the money

@Setanta O’Toole: both good as well