Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died at the age of 84 from complications related to Covid. His family announced it today on Facebook. “General Powell, former secretary of state and head of the United General Staff died this morning due to complications related to Covid – reads the post – we have lost an extraordinary and affectionate husband, father, grandfather and a great American”. The Powell family points out that the general had completed the vaccination course. Powell was appointed secretary of state by George Bush in 2001, becoming the first African-American head of American diplomacy.
From Vietnam to the invasion of Iraq
Born in Harlem, New York in 1937, Powell graduated with a degree in geology from City College of New York in 1958 and then earned an MBA from George Washington University in 2971. He began his military career with the rank of lieutenant, lending served in Vietnam, West Germany and South Korea before being appointed Chief of the Joint Staff in the 1990 Gulf War.
In the course of the clash between the allies of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, he developed the so-called “Powell doctrine”, consisting mainly in the use of “shock-and-awe” battle tactics (overwhelming and spectacular actions) to ensure victory and minimize the number of your losses.
Powell was best known for his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when he was charged with publicly justifying the US attack. In a speech to the United Nations, Powell argued that there was no doubt about the existence of chemical weapons hidden by Hussein, complete with images that would “prove” Saddam’s arsenal.
A year later, Powell admitted to Congress that he had been given “wrong” evidence and that the speech was a “stain” in his career. It subsequently moved on to more locations liberal, criticizing the Bush administration and making a endorsement I public first to Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, then to Hillary Clinton in 2016.