Günter Meyer (geographer)

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Günter Meyer

Günter Meyer (born August 25, 1946 in Oldenburg ) is a German geographer . He is chairman of the World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), and heads the Center for Research on the Arab World (ZEFAW) at the University of Mainz .

His main research interests are the political geography of the Arab world and economic and urban geographic development problems in the Middle East , especially in Egypt, Syria, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates as well as in Germany.

He became known to a wider audience through more than 1,100 interviews on the Iraq war , the civil war in Syria and the civil war in Libya in 2011 and from 2014 .

Life and academic career

From 1968 to 1973 Meyer studied geography and English at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg and the New University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. After his state examination for teaching at grammar schools in 1973, he was promoted to Dr. rer. nat . PhD . In 1983 he completed his habilitation in geography at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. His habilitation was based on socio-geographical studies on development in rural and nomadic living space. He was appointed professor in Erlangen and moved to Mainz in 1993.

Since the mid-1990s, Meyer has built up an intensive media and organizational network of institutions involved in oriental research with thousands of scientists on a national, European and global level.

Under his leadership, the First World Congress for Studies on the Middle East (WOCMES) took place at the University of Mainz with around 2,100 scientists from 68 countries and 126 journalists from all over the world.

In 2006 the board of directors of the World Congress for Studies on the Middle East (WOCMES) elected Meyer for the first time as its chairman. In April 2018 he was unanimously confirmed in this office for the fifth time for the period until 2022.

In 2014 the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) presented him with the Jere L. Bacharach Service Award . Meyer was the first European scientist to be honored with this award. In the explanatory memorandum, Meyer's “tireless efforts to improve communication and exchange between previously separate, different sub-areas of European science” were highlighted.

As chairman of the board of the World Congress of Middle Eastern Studies, Meyer was also responsible for the world congresses in Amman / Jordan, in Barcelona and in Ankara in August 2014. He also organizes the World Congress in 2018, which will be held in Seville.

research

Meyer's regional research focuses are primarily the Middle East , but also Germany and the developing and emerging countries.

Regarding the Arab world, he is now mainly concerned with political geography , developments in the countries of the “ Arab Spring ” (Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen), the civil war in Syria and the effects on neighboring countries, the Middle East conflict , the Iraq war , the ethnic-religious conflict potential, conflicts over oil and water as well as Islamism and terrorism. In the 1970s to 1990s, the focus was on neoliberal urban development in the Arab Gulf States and, in particular, economic and geographical development problems in Egypt, the Levant States and on the Arabian Peninsula, doing field research on topics such as tourism development, new land projects and small businesses in Egypt.

Egypt was also the subject of urban geography studies on “ gated communities ”, the redevelopment of the old city in Cairo, the integration of rural immigrants into the Egyptian metropolis and the associated housing problems in Cairo. In addition, there was research on development problems in industry in the "new cities" and on commercial development in the old town and the development of informal settlements in Cairo.

Meyer also examined similar thematic focuses on development processes in Germany (development processes in retail in the city center and in the outskirts) and in developing and emerging countries (development of megacities , consequences of globalization).

Positions

civil war in Syria

As early as 2012, Meyer expressed in interviews that there was massive outside interference in an internal Syrian conflict. The main concern of the western powers is to "switch off the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis". Hundreds of mujahedeen would be flown in from Libya because the CIA wanted to initiate a civil war to weaken Syria. The media ignored the fact that the majority of the Syrian population wanted Assad to continue as regent.

On the civil war in Syria , Meyer took a stand from the start against efforts to remove President Bashar al-Assad from his office. Before deploying the air force , he praised Russia's behavior in the conflict as constructive.

Meyer repeatedly blamed the United States' Iraq policy for the emergence of the terrorist militia “ Islamic State ”: “Without the illegal actions of the United States, the wrong decision by Bremer and the conscious acceptance that a Salafist rule will emerge in eastern Syria and this even after If the CIA's assessment were to be supported, ISIS would never have developed into a global threat. ”Regarding the situation after a possible overthrow of Assad, he referred to the widespread slogan:“ The Christians in Lebanon, the Alawis in Dig". This slogan shows the dangers that threaten the areas that are still controlled by the regime.

Meyer presented his view of the conflict and its causes in February 2016. Assad's overthrow was planned from 2001 onwards. In 2006, the dispatches from the US embassy in Damascus published by Wikileaks "leaked" that the regime was to be destabilized and, among other things, the aim was to foment ethnic differences. The strategy of supporting the moderate rebels through arms deliveries from Libya and Turkey had failed and these rebels had joined the extreme forces. Turkey has supported the IS and is doing everything possible to prevent a Kurdish state . A fall of Assad would throw Syria into chaos from which only extremists could benefit. In contrast to all the leading media, he assessed Russian politics as constructive. He ruled out an intention to intensify the refugee movement to Europe. The goal of Russian policy is to bring parts of the country back under government control. Although a geographer, he does not see the problem of the pipeline route through Syria as being related to the Syrian conflict.

In a discussion on June 9, 2016, Meyer did not expect a simple transfer of power in the event of the regime's replacement. The two strongest military groups, the Nusra Front and the IS, could not take part in power; The other militias are also predominantly Salafist or radical Islamist-oriented and are often enemies with one another. You one only fight against Assad. If there is a change of power, the mistake made after the Iraq war of destroying the armed forces and the state apparatus should not be repeated. Meyer saw the main obstacle to a peace agreement in the hegemonic politics of Saudi Arabia. The conflict is a proxy war for Saudi Arabia , its deployment is motivated by the rivalry with Iran. After Obama's turn away from the original pact between the USA and Saudi Arabia (oil for security), Saudi Arabia is trying to convert the Gulf Cooperation Council “into a bulwark against Iran”.

On the day after the fourth round of negotiations on the Syria conflict under UN mediation in Geneva on February 23, 2017, Meyer was asked by Jasper Barenberg in an interview with Deutschlandfunk about his assessment of the situation in Syria and the chances of success for an agreement between the opposition and the government. Meyer saw a political solution approaching with the capture of Aleppo. However, this requires cooperation between the USA and Russia in the fight against IS. The only alternative to Assad is the rule of ultra-conservative jihadists, there is no democratic opposition. For a solution with Assad, however, it is necessary for the USA to abandon its earlier demand for a change of government. In an interview, Meyer criticized the reporting on human rights violations in Aleppo: She ignored the fact that IS was using the civilian population as a protective shield. He highlighted the one-sidedness of the censorship of reporting on Mosul and described the White Helmets and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as propaganda instruments that provided the media with the desired reports.

Meyer also repeated his characterization of the Weißhelme as a propaganda organization in interviews with n-tv and ARD . Indignation against the "brutal Russians" and the "inhuman Assad regime" should be stirred up. Small children are often used, who are then "heroically" pulled out of the rubble by the White Helmets after alleged Syrian or Russian air raids. He is also of the opinion that the videos of the "rescues" are often staged or even portrayed by actors. Meyer always emphasizes that the White Helmets are also supported by the American and British governments.

Refugee crisis

Meyer sees the EU's refusal to accept two or three million refugees as a sign of poverty. He described the refugee deal with Turkey as "cynical". "It amounts to the fact that Chancellor Angela Merkel also accepts the human rights violations in order to solve the refugee problem."

Libya

Regarding the chaos in Libya after the fall of Gaddafi , Meyer said that people are far worse off than before. The chaos there also affects Germany through the refugee movement and terrorism, Islamists trained there could also carry out attacks in Europe with the weapons from the looted arsenals.

Egypt

In January 2014, before the referendum on the new Egyptian constitution , Meyer said that it now contains a commitment to human rights. The constitution could easily be restricted by national legislation. The role of the military and its budget are not regulated in the constitution. The position of the National Defense Council suggests that authoritarian structures can emerge. The exclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood suggests an escalation of violence and counter-violence. The Shiite and Copt minorities are still in danger.

Israel

In an open letter from Middle East experts on the crisis in Gaza to the German government on August 19, 2014, which Meyer signed, the Federal Republic of Germany's Israel policy was criticized. Among other things, calls were made to promote the Palestinian government, to apply the restrictive arms export regulations to all parties to the conflict, and to put military cooperation with Israel to the test. The German government should work for an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and make proposals for a settlement of the conflict that are binding on both sides and in accordance with international law.

In a discussion with Johannes Gerster in 2014, Meyer stated that the Israeli government policy was primarily responsible for the failed peace efforts. All peace negotiations had failed in the previous two decades because the situation of the Palestinians had permanently deteriorated as a result of the Israeli occupation and settlement policy.

Criticism and controversy

Meyer's appearances in the ARD-Mittagsmagazin and in the Hessischer Rundfunk , in which he again attributed the alleged use of poison gas in Duma on April 8, 2018 to a staging of the White Helmets, drew criticism. According to a report in Focus, Meyer initially did not substantiate his claims, but his statement about the staging was disseminated by the dpa news agency and also taken up by other publications. Upon request, Meyer sent Focus links to articles by the Russian state-funded television station RT , to other articles from online media related to Russia, a list of the sources of funding for the White Helmets, a work by journalist Seymour Hersh and an article of his own as evidence. The Focus article comes to the conclusion that Meyer's views coincide with those of the Russian media and accuses Meyer of doing propaganda even in the headline. Meyer commented on the accusation of using the Russian state media by pointing out that the two sides were engaged in an information war by fighting hard.

Already in 2013 there was criticism in the program " Report Mainz " of two statements by Meyer about the alleged poison gas attack in Ghouta on August 21, 2013, which turned out to be false, which Meyer admitted after the investigation. Peter Bouckaert of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch considered the "many allegations without evidence" to be "highly problematic". The program put Meyer under suspicion of disinformation , the spread of conspiracy theories and partisanship in the conflict: "Many conspiracy theories on the Syria crisis are circulating on the Internet, allegations without evidence, even spread by a scientist. Disinformation during a conflict, not just with Weapons is fought. "

Functions and memberships

  • Visiting professor and member of the Board of Trustees of Sharjah University in the United Arab Emirates
  • Head of the Center for Research on the Arab World (ZEFAW)
  • Chairman of the German Working Group on the Middle East for contemporary research and documentation (DAVO)
  • President of the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES)
  • President of the International Association for Middle Eastern Studies (IAMES)
  • Chairman of the International Advisory Council of the World Congress of Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES)
  • Board member of the Parliament of Cultures
  • Chairman of Geography for All e. V.
  • Spokesman for the Interdisciplinary Working Group Third World
  • Chairman of the Geography Alumni Association at the University of Mainz
  • Member of the advisory board of the German-Arab Society

Prizes and awards

  • 2002: Order of Merit of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate for serving as President of the First World Congress for Studies on the Middle East, which took place in September 2002 at the Johannes Gutenberg University.
  • 2014: Jere L. Bacharach Service Award for networking international oriental research. The prize is the highest distinction in oriental studies .

Private

Günter Meyer is married and lives in Mainz. He is the father of the cabaret artist Inka Meyer .

Publications (selection)

  • Rural lifestyles and economic forms in Syria in transition. Social geographer. Studies on development in rural and nomadic living space (=  Erlanger geographical works . Special volume 16). Fränkische Geographische Ges. Palm and Enke, Erlangen 1984, ISBN 3-920405-58-7 (325 pages, habilitation thesis).
  • Labor emigration, internal migration and economic development in the Yemen Arab Republic. An economic and population-geographical study with a special focus on the urban construction sector . In: Yemen Studies . tape 2 . Reichert, Wiesbaden 1986, ISBN 3-88226-292-3 .
  • The arab world. In the mirror of cultural geography . tape 11 . Center for Research on the Arab World [u. a.], Mainz 2004, ISBN 3-88250-330-0 .
  • with Christian Steiner, Ala Al-Hamarneh: Crises, wars, disasters and their effects on the tourism market . In: Journal of Economic Geography . tape 50 , no. 1 , October 2006, ISSN  0044-3751 , p. 98-108 , doi : 10.1515 / zfw.2006.0011 .
  • with Andreas Thimm (ed.): The global food crisis: winners and losers in developing countries (=  publications of the interdisciplinary working group Third World . Volume 20 ). Interdisciplinary Working Group Third World, Mainz 2010, ISBN 978-3-88250-339-5 .
  • with Andreas Thimm (ed.): Economic and social consequences of the financial crisis for the developing countries (=  publications of the interdisciplinary working group Third World . Volume 21 ). Interdisciplinary Working Group Third World, Mainz 2011, ISBN 978-3-88250-340-1 .
  • with Evelyn Schäfer: Students in Mainz - living, consumption and leisure in the state capital. Geographical Institute of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 2011, accessed on June 20, 2016 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Günter Meyer elected again as chairman of the board of the Orient World Congress WOCMES. Retrieved April 8, 2018 .
  2. ^ Rural ways of life and economy in Syria in transition. Social geographer. Studies on development in rural and nomadic living space (=  Erlanger geographical works . Special volume 16). 1984, ISBN 3-920405-58-7 .
  3. ↑ a b c Mainz geographer Günter Meyer remains chairman of the board of the Orient World Congress. In: Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved June 12, 2016 .
  4. ^ A b Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: Günter Meyer re-elected as chairman of the board of the Orient World Congress. Retrieved April 8, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Günter Meyer elected again as chairman of the board of the Orient World Congress WOCMES. Retrieved April 8, 2018 .
  6. ↑ a b Günter Meyer receives Jere L. Bacharach Service Award for networking international research on the Orient. uni-mainz.de, accessed on June 12, 2016 .
  7. ↑ VRM GmbH & Co. KG: Günter Meyer heads the center for worldwide oriental research at the University of Mainz . ( Allgemeine-zeitung.de [accessed on April 8, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Peter van Dorren: The truth about Syria - Univ. Prof. Dr. Günter Meyer in the Bayern2 interview. January 25, 2012, accessed June 12, 2016 .
  9. ↑ "The USA has no interest in a peaceful solution in which Bashar al-Assad could stay in power." I have never experienced such a form of disinformation In: JGU-Magazin. April 11, 2012.
  10. ↑ "There can only be a political solution, there can only be a negotiated solution with the participation of the current regime." Günter Meyer in conversation with Martin Zagatta In: DLF. May 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ The Kremlin plays a constructive role. In: DLF. 15th September 2015.
  12. ↑ Tahir Chaudhry: Syria: "This is a success of Russian diplomacy" . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . September 29, 2015 ( faz.net [accessed June 12, 2016]).
  13. ↑ Tahir Chaudhry: Syria: "This is a success of Russian diplomacy" . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . September 29, 2015, ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed June 12, 2016]).
  14. ↑ 3sat.online: Library: Culture-time conversation with Günter Meyer. In: 3sat media library. Retrieved June 12, 2016 .
  15. ↑ Michael Wrase: Not one step closer to the solution. Interview with the German Middle East expert about the situation in Syria. In: Luxemburger Wort. June 9, 2016, p. 12.
  16. ↑ Syria Talks - “The balance of power has changed significantly” . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed on February 25, 2017]).
  17. ↑ "The US wants to smash Syria" - ntv March 16, 2018
  18. ↑ "stage and use propaganda" - ARD-Mittagsmagazin; MIMA focus of April 10, 2018 on Syria
  19. ↑ Deutschlandfunk - Interview. In: Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved June 12, 2016 .
  20. ↑ Desktop Notifications, Profile, Settings, Logout: The horror after Gaddafi: This also affects Germany. (No longer available online.) In: The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016 ; accessed on June 12, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.huffingtonpost.de
  21. ↑ Südwest Presse Online-Dienst GmbH: Interview about the situation in Egypt: breeding ground for even more violence . In: swp.de . January 14, 2014 ( swp.de [accessed April 10, 2017]).
  22. ^ Open letter from Middle East experts on Gaza. Retrieved April 10, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Verlagsgruppe Rhein Main GmbH & Co. KG: Who has the key to peace? ( Allgemeine-zeitung.de [accessed on April 10, 2017]).
  24. ↑ FOCUS Online: Syria expert spreads propaganda in ARD - and provides no evidence . In: FOCUS Online . ( focus.de [accessed on August 19, 2018]).
  25. ^ Online exclusive: Propaganda War in Syria. The truth behind the conspiracy theories against the rebels - 2013-09-18
  26. ↑ About UOS. sharjah.ac.ae, accessed June 17, 2016 .
  27. ↑ Günter Meyer elected again as chairman of the board of the Orient World Congress WOCMES. Retrieved April 8, 2018 .
  28. ↑ uni-mainz.de (PDF, p. 32).
  29. ^ Jere L. Bacharach Service Award. In: mesana.org. Retrieved June 12, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Meyer, Günter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German geographer
DATE OF BIRTH August 25, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH Oldenburg