Colin Powell, former Secretary of State under George W. Bush, died at the age of 84 from "complications from Covid-19" at Walter Reed Hospital in suburban Washington, announced his family on Monday.
"We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, and grandfather, he was a great American," they said in a statement.
Born April 5, 1937 in Harlem, New York, Colin Powell was the first African-American to hold the post of Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, before becoming head of US diplomacy under the Republican presidency of George W. Bush.
His leadership in several US administrations was instrumental in shaping US foreign policy in the 1990s and 2000s.
Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, remembered for this kind of photo showing him before the UN Security Council in 2003 with a vial believed to contain anthrax in his hand, died of # Covid19.
(AFP) pic.twitter.com/T5YDCoq0b7
- Nicolas Berrod (@nicolasberrod) October 18, 2021
An extremely popular Secretary of State
Distinguished soldier in Vietnam, Colin Powell saw his national popularity skyrocket following the victory of the US-led coalition in the Gulf War.
For a time in the mid-1990s, he was even considered a prime candidate to become the first black president of the United States.
Read alsoColin Powell will not vote for Trump, who "lies all the time"
But his reputation will be forever tarnished when, as George W. Bush's first secretary of state, he argues for the war in Iraq on the basis of misinformation about the weapons of mass destruction allegedly held by the country in front of it. the UN Security Council, February 5, 2003. A setback that he later qualified as a real “stain” on his record: “I am the one who made this presentation on behalf of the United States to the world, and that will always be part of my record.
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