Lindsey Graham tributes from Israel and Ukraine point to complicated, often bloody legacy
Longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has passed away at age 71, leaving behind a complex legacy as a prominent neoconservative hawk. Tributes from international leaders in Israel and Ukraine highlight his significant influence on global foreign policy and his role in shaping the modern Republican party.
Why it matters
Graham was a pivotal figure in US foreign policy for decades, and his death marks the end of a specific era of interventionist Republicanism.
Lindsey Graham speaks during a press conference on Israel-US relations following a meeting with Lebanese officials, in Tel Aviv, Israel, 28 August 2025. Lindsey Graham speaks during a press conference on Israel-US relations following a meeting with Lebanese officials, in Tel Aviv, Israel, 28 August 2025. US politics Analysis Lindsey Graham tributes from Israel and Ukraine point to complicated, often bloody legacy David Smith in Washington Republican senator, who died Saturday, had a global reach few could rival and was vital in shaping Trump’s worldview
It was revealing that one of the first tributes to Lindsey Graham, a US senator who died on Saturday aged 71, came from Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, a far-right provocateur who recently caused widespread anger by sharing footage of himself taunting bound activists who had been trying to sail to Gaza with aid.
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