Christopher Hitchens

Hitchens supported the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and remained one of the most prominent intellectual advocates of intervention in Iraq, despite mistakes concerning weapons of mass destruction and the chaos that followed the war. In 2004, he announced that he would vote for George W. Bush, primarily because of the struggle against jihadism and dictatorships.

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In Vanity Fair, Hitchens asserted that women were, on average, less funny than men and advanced biological and social generalisations that triggered a strong public reaction.

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Hitchens agreed to undergo a controlled simulation of waterboarding to assess the technique. After quickly stopping the experiment, he publicly concluded that if waterboarding was not torture, nothing could be called torture.

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In God Is Not Great, Hitchens argues that religion 'poisons everything' and associates the major religious traditions with authoritarianism, sectarianism and significant social harm, becoming a leading figure of New Atheism.

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Hitchens devoted a documentary and then The Missionary Position to challenging Mother Teresa's public image, accusing her, among other things, of glorifying suffering, accepting money from compromised individuals and seeking political influence rather than quality medical care.

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After the 11 September attacks, Hitchens gradually broke with several former left-wing allies, accusing anti-imperialists of minimising jihadist totalitarianism and popularising the idea of a struggle against 'Islamofascism'.

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In The Trial of Henry Kissinger, Hitchens assembled a case concerning, among other places, Indochina, Bangladesh, Chile, Cyprus and East Timor, calling for consideration of the former Secretary of State's international criminal responsibility.

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Allegations

Hitchens and his wife signed an affidavit stating that Sidney Blumenthal had described Monica Lewinsky to them as a 'stalker', contradicting the account given by Bill Clinton's adviser. The affidavit destroyed his friendship with Blumenthal and led some former allies to call Hitchens an informer.

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