Nathan Gardels

"Nathan Gardels is now also one of the veterans of the World Economic Forum in Davos. In 1985, he founded the periodical New Perspectives Quarterly, which has been available since 1999 at www.digitalnpq.org and is allegedly read by 35 million people in fifteen languages. This is also the principle that Berggruen follows with his institute: Former heads of state, ministers, and diplomats comment on current world events. Almost forgotten figures like the former head of the UN arms control commission Hans Blix have emerged from obscurity. In New Perspectives Quarterly, the politician, who is now almost 90 years old, explains the similarities between North Korea and Iran. Gardels' "Club of Wise Old Men" aims to provide a spectrum of opinions on conflict topics, just like the Club of Rome. Thus, the former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who chaired the influential private US think tank Council on Foreign Relations from 1977 to 1981, at the age of 90, is just as wise and cosmopolitan as Helmut Schmidt, Abolhassam Banisadr, the first elected president of Iran, comments for New Perspectives Quarterly on the Hollywood film Argo, and Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, explains why Arab democracy cannot be of American influence. Alongside the old guard, Nathan Gardels also allows writers such as Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, w"

"Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Nicolas Berggruen makes his debut as a guest columnist in The New York Times. Together with Nathan Gardels, he analyzes in the article "The Fault Lines Of Democracy" what he believes to be the flawed course of American democracy, which leads to the government's inability of elected politicians. The article is akin to a college essay and argues that China's politics are changing more dynamically and rapidly than those in America. Unlike China, it is stated, the United States is incapable of carrying out constitutional changes. The very thought of it is an abomination in Washington, Berggruen says. In conclusion, it says: America should soon start learning from China – naturally under Berggruen's guidance!"