Markus Ziener

Visiting Senior Fellow
Berlin Office
GMF Expert

Markus Ziener is a professor of journalism at the Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und Wirtschaft (HMKW), University of Applied Sciences, in Berlin. He teaches political theories and economics, mass media, journalistic writing, and the history of the press. He is also the global affairs correspondent of the newspaper The Straits Times in Singapore and a regular contributor to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Deutschlandfunk/Deutschlandradio. Ziener is also a liaison lecturer at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

Between 2006 and 2012 Markus Ziener was Washington bureau chief of Handelsblatt, Germany's business daily. Prior to that he worked as a field reporter, covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has also served as Handelsblatt’s correspondent in Moscow (1994–1999) and Eastern Europe (1990–1994). From 1999 to 2001 he was foreign editor with the Financial Times Deutschland.

Originally from Darmstadt, Ziener obtained his Ph.D. in politics at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, examining financial crises and reforms in Poland. He also spent time at Duke University through a GMF fellowship for foreign journalists.

Media Mentions

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Markus Ziener
“ They squandered a lot of their success because they seemed detached from ordinary people... Instead of setting incentives, they were seen as telling people what’s right and what’s wrong, as wanting to lecture people. ”
The New York Times
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Markus Ziener
“ Scholz has to convey a very clear message in Moscow, and it can really only be: There is unity and oneness in the Western alliance. There is no possibility of driving a wedge into the Western alliance, and that must be understood in Moscow. I think that’s the most important message he has to convey there. ”
AP News
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Markus Ziener
“ This historical stance of the German government is lopsided. In the past, Germany’s actions had made Ukraine suffer and while the uneasiness to supply weapons is understandable, in the current scenario, supplying arms to fortify Ukraine would actually help the country. ”
Al Jazeera
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Markus Ziener
“ There is an important fraction of the SPD that has always militated for Germany to adopt a respectful approach in its relations with Moscow. ”
Translated from French
France 24
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Markus Ziener
“ This [German] government wanted to do something about climate change, they want to change the face of Germany and want to make it carbon-free, and all of a sudden they are completely mired in a huge foreign policy crisis. And I think they are struggling with this quite a bit. ”
Washington Post
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Markus Ziener
“ If [Russia] would be cut off from SWIFT, this would also hit basically any financial institution in Russia. Now, what's the caveat? The caveat here is that Russia has amassed hundreds of billions of gold and US dollars. ”
Euronews
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Markus Ziener
“ While the Greens and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock favor a values-based approach stressing human rights and speaking out against the suppression of democratic forces, the Social Democrats and Scholz pursue a more pragmatic line. The question of who eventually will have the final say on foreign policy issues like China and Russia could become the first major litmus test for the unity of the new government. ”
CNS News
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Markus Ziener
“ That scenario is being debated quite a bit here in Washington. What’s going to happen if we have two theaters of war, two theaters of tension, at the same time? Can the United States handle that? Having moved to the US for a research project involving Russia, China, and the US, I see growing concern about the Russia-China relationship ramp-up in recent weeks. ”
Yahoo! News
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Markus Ziener
“ China is probably one of the main conflicting lines within the new government because, of course, Germany is a country that is exporting and importing [to China] a lot, and its relationship with China is essential for the economy – decoupling from China would be economically very bad for Germany. ”
Euronews
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Markus Ziener
“ Merkel will be remembered for how she handled the Eurozone debt crisis that wreaked havoc on the economies of several southern European countries. ”
Indian Express
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Markus Ziener
“ This so-called 'traffic light' coalition would be the first three-party alliance in the country’s history, and already has 'some conflict lines written in the sand.' ”
Quartz
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Markus Ziener
“ Once the Greek debt crisis had abated, the AfD was largely off the radar, its main argument having vanished. But then came the migrant crisis, breathing new life into the movement. ”
France 24

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