About every eight months or so....some official in the government (usually CDU-CSU folks, and on rare occasions....SPD folks)...gets caught up in a thesis investigation by their old university. In most cases, the 'trap' works, and the guy/gal has to resign and then quit politics.
One of the past targets? Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU. Around five years ago....the 'trap' was set on her thesis and in the end....she survived.
The latest target? The chief of staff for Chancellor Merkel....CDU politician Helge Braun. The thesis business? Well....he has a degree in medicine. Around 14 years ago, he completed the degree and the thesis was accepted. His topic? Well....more or less....rapid heartbeats during an operation.
Yeah, I know....it's a pretty curious topic but obviously...he felt it was worth writing.
Is there a group behind these thesis accusations? Yes. No one talks about their funding. Maybe it matters.....maybe it doesn't matter.
What'll happen? The Giessen University will open up the situation with a 'commission'. Man-hour-wise? I'd take a guess that a minimum of 300 man-hours will be wasted on this effort. The main question will be....did he lift information from other sources, and not identify them in the index?
Having watched a couple of these accusations come and go.....I'd generally advise any German who thinks they might have a political career....to avoid the thesis business if possible and do a dissertation (if that choice exists).
As for all of these successes that come from the accusation business in thesis writing? Well....you just have to wonder how much effort the university put into their job in the first place? If you dragged out a hundred thesis reports just in general....ten to fifteen years later.....how many would fail for various issues?
As for dragging this all up at the beginning of a political campaign? Well....it's just a curious thing. The accusation group hasn't exactly said when they suspected a problem with the thesis.
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