Alexander Glebovich Rar is one of the most famous Western experts on issues related to Russia. He leads the work of the Bertold Beitz Center at the German Foreign Policy Council, funded by Deutsche Bank. The life story of Alexander Rahr is quite unusual: the famous expert and international journalist was born in Taiwan, has Russian roots and German citizenship. State leaders are interested in his opinion, since it objectively reflects the situation. For his contribution to the development of Russian-German relations, Rahr received the highest award from Germany and was awarded the title of Honorary Professor of MGIMO.
Emigration to the Baltic States
Alexander Rar was born into a family of first-wave immigrants who left their country after the revolution and civil war. His grandfather came from a merchant estate. For this reason, the communist government recognized the Rarov family as hostile to the new order and expelled it from the country. Father Alexander Rar was called Gleb Alexandrovich. He was born in Moscow, but left with his parents in the Baltic states, where he spent his childhood. In Latvia, Gleb Rar graduated from high school.
Emigration to Germany
After the arrival of the Red Army in the Baltic States, Rara faced a difficult choice. The Soviet authorities inevitably awaited repression. Rara had the right to emigrate to Germany due to the presence of German roots, but did not feel any sympathy for the Nazi regime. The final decision was made. They moved to Germany, but refused to receive German citizenship. Gleb Rar studied as an architect and actively participated in the activities of the Orthodox community of Russian emigrants. Two years before the end of World War II, he was arrested for anti-Hitler propaganda. Gleb Rar was imprisoned in several concentration camps. He was freed by American troops.
Work in Taiwan
In 1957, Gleb Rar married Sofya Orekhova, the daughter of a White Guard officer, widely known among Russian emigrants. Together, the couple left for Taiwan. Gleb Rar received an offer to work there at a radio station that broadcast on the territory of the Soviet Union. The main goal of her activity was to conduct anti-communist propaganda. In 1959, the couple had a son - Alexander Glebovich Rar. The biography of the family in many respects predetermined his fate.
Education
In 1980, Alexander Rahr entered the University of Munich, where he studied the history of Eastern Europe and political science. He managed earlier than others to feel the approach of an era of change in the Soviet Union. In 1986, the first book was published by Alexander Rar. The biography of Mikhail Gorbachev saw the light when the Soviet empire still seemed indestructible. Rahr, in his book, called the last CPSU Secretary General a "new man." Education at the University of Munich continued until 1988. Then, Alexander Rar was invited to work at Radio Liberty as an expert on the Soviet Union.
Contacts with Russia
The first visit to the historical homeland took place in 1990. Rahr's visit to the USSR was organized by a group of people's deputies. He got the opportunity to get to know and chat with some important political figures of that time. In particular, Rar had a personal meeting with Boris Yeltsin. Since then, the proximity of a Western expert and journalist to Russian authorities has become one of the reasons for his popularity.
Career
In the early 90s, as a political scientist, Alexander Rar was engaged in research at the Institute of East and West in the United States. After returning to Germany, he became director of the center for Russia and Eurasia. Cooperation with this expert and analytical organization, founded by the Federal Foreign Policy Council of the Federal Republic of Germany, continued until 2012. After leaving work in a research center, Rahr took up the position of consultant to the largest German energy company Wintershall. In addition, he directs the activities of several organizations with the goal of developing Russian-German relations. In 2015, Alexander Rar became Gazprom's adviser on European issues.
Valdai Club
In 2004, an international organization was created to ensure an open dialogue between Western experts and the Russian political elite. The discussion platform got its name after the first conference held in Veliky Novgorod near Lake Valdai. Rahr has been a member of this international club since its inception. As part of this discussion platform, he personally met with President Vladimir Putin.
