Alexander Rahr is one of Germany's most renowned experts on Russia. Especially as the author of numerous publications on Russia and Eurasia, the Eastern Europe expert has become widely known. Born in Taipei (*1959) and raised in Tokyo, Brussels, Frankfurt and Munich, the cosmopolitan studied Eastern European history, modern history and politics at the Ludwig Maximillians University in Munich. Between 1977 and 1985, he worked as a freelance research assistant on the research project on the Soviet elite for the Federal Institute for East European and International Studies in Cologne. Further research took him to the research institute of "Radio Free Europe" in Munich. This was followed by stays abroad in New York, Santa Monica and Russia. In 1994, Rahr became an informal advisor to the German government on Russia as a research associate at the Research Institute of the German Council on Foreign Relations in Bonn and Berlin. In 1995, he took over the management of the Russia/Eurasia Centre for 18 years, which is supported by the Körber Foundation, Deutsche Bank and the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations. From 2012 to 2015, he was Senior Advisor to Wintershall DEA and Advisor to the President of the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade AHK. Since 2015, Alexander Rahr has been Senior Advisor to Gazprom/Brussels, Board Member of the Association of Russian Business in Germany and Research Director of the German-Russian Forum. He is also a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Order of Friendship of Russia. He is an honorary professor at the Moscow Diplomatic School and the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Alexander Rahr is the editor and author of numerous publications in international and academic newspapers, journals and monographs. As a member of the Valdai Club, he is in regular political exchange with Vladimir Putin and others. He can regularly be seen as a commentator and expert on the subject of Russia on German as well as Russian television, radio and political talk shows. Alexander Rahr is a nationally and internationally sought-after consultant and lecturer.