Berlin
Dr. Cheat: German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg gave up his Ph.D. this week after newspapers revealed he had plagiarized much of his 2006 doctoral thesis. Guttenberg, a conservative Bavarian aristocrat married to a direct descendent of Otto von Bismarck, is a star in German politics and has been tipped as a possible future chancellor. The scandal, dubbed “Copygate,” has dominated headlines in Germany, where academic titles are highly respected. Chancellor Angela Merkel has a doctorate in physics, and 11 of her 15 Cabinet members also have doctorates. Guttenberg said he was giving up the title “temporarily” while university authorities looked into the sourcing of his dissertation on constitutional law. “I made mistakes,” he said. “But I didn’t do them on purpose.”
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