Theo Sommer
Theo Sommer | |
---|---|
Theo Sommer (1967) | |
Born | 10 June 1930 |
Nationality | German |
Theo Sommer (born 10 June 1930) is a German newspaper editor and intellectual. He has been at Die Zeit since 1958, rising to Editor-in-Chief and Publisher. He is considered one of Germany's foremost authorities on international relations and strategic issues.[1]
Life and career
Born in Konstanz, Republic of Baden, Sommer grew up in Schwäbisch Gmünd and was educated at a National Political Institutes of Education.[2] He attended Manchester College in Indiana and the University of Chicago, then earned a Ph.D. from the University of Tübingen with his thesis on Germany and Japan between the Powers, 1935-1940.
At Die Zeit, he became Foreign Editor in 1958, Deputy Editor in 1968; Editor-in-Chief in 1973; Publisher in 1992; and became an Editor-at-Large in 2000.
Since 2004 Sommer is Editor-at-Large for the publishment Times Media, which includes the newspapers The Atlantic Times, The German Times, The Asia-Pacific Times and The African Times. He also served as Chief of Planning Staff for the German Ministry of Defence in 1969 to 1970. He is a former member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group.[3] Ukrainian-American historian Alexander J. Motyl has criticised Sommer for "closing his eyes to the mass murders of the Soviet regime", "disregard" for the Baltic states and Poland, and a "classically colonial" attitude toward Ukraine.[4]
Honours and awards
- 1966: Theodor Wolff Prize
- 1998: Federal Cross of Merit 1st class (Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse)
- 2002: Bundeswehr Cross of Honour in Gold
- 2012: Honorary Senator of the Helmut Schmidt University
References
- ↑ Manus, Susan (November 1997). Perspectives on German Reunification: Theo Sommer Shares International Expertise. Information Bulletin, Library of Congress
- ↑ Wirtschaftswoche.de "Gelobt sei was hart macht" 20 May 2009 (in German)
- ↑ "Former Steering Committee Members". bilderbergmeetings.org. Bilderberg Group. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
- ↑ Motyl, Alexander J. (27 June 2016). "The Dangerous Perspective of Theo Sommer". Atlantic Council.