Comment: The debate about Baerbock's new job is simply embarrassing
In the US, appointing former government representatives as lecturers is a normal procedure. The German excitement shows that it is only about hatred and incitement.
Annalena Baerbock, former German Foreign Minister and outgoing UN General Assembly President, will join Columbia University in New York as a professor of Global Leadership and co-director of the Master of Public Administration in Global Leadership program from autumn. Her appointment has sparked criticism from some German politicians on the right and journalists, who question her competence for the role.
However, it is common in the US for former government officials to take on teaching positions at universities, with examples including Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice. Baerbock will follow in the footsteps of other former government officials, including Robert Habeck, who have taught at American elite universities.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
