Theo Sommer

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]

Theo Sommer
Theo Sommer (1967)
Born (1930-06-10) 10 June 1930
Konstanz, Germany
NationalityGerman

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.

Sommer was member of the Advisory Board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung (1990–1996), which owns a majority of the Bertelsmann media group.[3]

Since 2004 Sommer is Editor-at-Large for Times Media, which publishes the newspapers The Atlantic Times and The German 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.[4] 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.[5]

Honours and awards

References
  1. Manus, Susan (November 1997). "Perspectives on German Reunification: Theo Sommer Shares International Expertise". Information Bulletin. Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  2. "60 JAHRE BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND: Gelobt sei, was hart macht" (in German). Wirtschaftswoche. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. "From 1977 to today: Explore the history of our foundation". Bertelsmann Stiftung. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. "Former Steering Committee Members". Bilderberg Group. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. Motyl, Alexander J. (27 June 2016). "The Dangerous Perspective of Theo Sommer". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 13 July 2020.


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