Henry Kissinger, 1923-

Kissinger was the national security adviser and secretary of state to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He heavily influenced U.S. policy in the Middle East and made “shuttle diplomacy” famous after the October 1973 war. He stalled to give Israel time in that war to push across the Suez Canal. His approach of interim, confidence-building steps put Israel and Egypt on the path toward their 1979 treaty.

Photo: U.S. State Department