Disgraced Guttenberg now at US think tank
Former German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who stepped down earlier this year after he was found to have plagiarized his doctoral thesis, has taken up an honorary post at a leading US think tank.
The Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) announced Thursday that Guttenberg was joining the organization as a "distinguished statesman."
Guttenberg would "lead a new transatlantic dialogue initiative at CSIS which will bring European and American thought-leaders, practitioners and officials together," the CSIS said in a statement.
This would allow them to develop "a bold, new strategic vision to reinvigorate the transatlantic relationship and prevent strategic drift."
CSIS president John Hamre welcomed Guttenberg, hailing "his energy, enthusiasm and deep commitment to the transatlantic partnership."
Guttenberg, once the most popular minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet, in March admitted to "serious mistakes" in his 2006 legal dissertation at the German University of Bayreuth.
He asked the southern German university to withdraw his doctor title, but denied cheating.
A university committee set up in the wake of the affair to look at the allegations found that "the standards of good scientific practice were clearly grossly abused and it was obvious that plagiarism was involved."
Asked to comment on the scandal, Heather Conley, the director of the CSIS's European programme, said that while the think tank was "fully aware" of the affair "it did not ultimately change our decision."
The unpaid position at the CSIS is an advisory post also held by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.
AFP/mdm
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The Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) announced Thursday that Guttenberg was joining the organization as a "distinguished statesman."
Guttenberg would "lead a new transatlantic dialogue initiative at CSIS which will bring European and American thought-leaders, practitioners and officials together," the CSIS said in a statement.
This would allow them to develop "a bold, new strategic vision to reinvigorate the transatlantic relationship and prevent strategic drift."
CSIS president John Hamre welcomed Guttenberg, hailing "his energy, enthusiasm and deep commitment to the transatlantic partnership."
Guttenberg, once the most popular minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet, in March admitted to "serious mistakes" in his 2006 legal dissertation at the German University of Bayreuth.
He asked the southern German university to withdraw his doctor title, but denied cheating.
A university committee set up in the wake of the affair to look at the allegations found that "the standards of good scientific practice were clearly grossly abused and it was obvious that plagiarism was involved."
Asked to comment on the scandal, Heather Conley, the director of the CSIS's European programme, said that while the think tank was "fully aware" of the affair "it did not ultimately change our decision."
The unpaid position at the CSIS is an advisory post also held by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.
AFP/mdm
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