Dick Cheney, Controversial US Foreign Policy Architect, Dies at 84
Dick Cheney, a powerful figure in the US Republican Party and vice president under George W. Bush, has died due to complications from pneumonia and heart disease. His family confirmed his death, stating he was 84 years old at the time.
Cheney was a central figure in steering the Bush administration toward the controversial 2003 invasion of Iraq and was one of the key architects of the shift in US foreign policy at the dawn of the 21st century. In addition to serving as vice president, he held the post of defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush, and earlier served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford.
Cheney was first elected to the US House of Representatives from Wyoming in 1978, a position he held until 1989. From 1995 to 2000, he served as the CEO of energy giant Halliburton, a role that drew scrutiny due to the company’s vast commercial interests amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
Alongside other Republican leaders, Cheney avoided military service during the Vietnam War. Throughout his career, he faced fierce criticism from human rights advocates and anti-war activists. In recent years, he also drew the ire of his own party for his outspoken opposition to then-President Donald Trump.
Although known for his consistently conservative views, Cheney made headlines in the 2024 general election by casting a symbolic vote for Democrat Kamala Harris, signaling his discontent with the Republican Party’s populist turn under Trump. Cheney’s death marks the end of one of the most polarizing chapters in modern US foreign policy history—a legacy that carried heavy consequences for countries like Afghanistan.
