He studied political science and Slavic studies at the Free University in West Berlin. He worked at the Berlin branch of the German-American Aspen Institute, the Research Institute of the German Society for Foreign Policy, the Bundestag and the Centre for Social Research in Berlin.
He is a member of the board of the Polish PEN (Poets Essayists Novelists) Club, member of the board of the Allianz Foundation,
He has been awarded several honors: the Order of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic, the Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland, the Gold Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland, the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis among others.
