Dick Cheney, the architect of the “war on terror” and one of the most influential vice presidents of the United States, dies
4 November 2025 15:29
Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was the 46th Vice President of the United States, serving in the administration of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. He was called the “gray cardinal” of American politics in the early twenty-first century. CNN writes about this, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Before that, he headed the Pentagon under George W. Bush and was one of the most influential figures in the Republican Party.
The architect of the “war on terror”
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Cheney became one of the main authors of the American response, the so-called “war on terror” that engulfed Afghanistan and later Iraq.
He was an ideologue of strengthening presidential powers in the security sphere and a supporter of the use of “harsh” interrogation methods, which caused a wave of criticism from human rights activists.
Loss of influence and criticism of Trump
Despite his political weight in the 2000s, in later years Cheney increasingly distanced himself from the Republican Party.
His outspoken criticism of Donald Trump – particularly after the storming of the Capitol in 2021 – effectively isolated him from the mainstream Republican political wing.
Cheney has called Trump a “coward” and “the greatest threat to the country in the history of the United States.”
Personal life
The death was reported by his family. According to CNN, Cheney was accompanied by his wife of 61 years, Lynn, and two daughters, Liz and Mary, during his last moments.
His daughter, Liz Cheney, a former congresswoman, is also known as one of Trump’s harshest critics within the party.
Although Dick Cheney remains a controversial figure – for some he is a symbol of the strength of American statehood, for others he is the personification of excessive US intervention in world affairs – his influence on US policy after September 11 can hardly be overestimated.
