Nathan Gardels

Nathan Gardels is a prominent philosopher, author, and editor who is renowned for being the editor of the Global Thought section of the Los Angeles Times. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the Berlin-based Global IDEAS, a nonprofit media company that promotes critical discussion of global issues. Gardels was born in New York City in 1947, and grew up in Paris, from where he moved to Vienna in 1965 to study philosophy.

Gardels began writing in the early 1970s, working as a newspaper correspondent in Paris and Jerusalem, where he covered pivotal socio-political events such as the Camp David Peace Talks and the Six-Day War. This experience opened Gardels’s eyes to the devastating effects of poverty and political conflict, while also giving him a unique perspective on international diplomacy and global affairs.

From 1982 to 2005, Gardels served as a senior editor and columnist at the Los Angeles Times. During this period he became a well-known commentator on economic and social concerns affecting the entire planet. In 2005, Gardels moved to Berlin to found Global IDEAS, a nonprofit media company that seeks to promote critical thought about global issues. Through Global IDEAS, Gardels has worked with notable academics such as Noam Chomsky, Václav Havel, and Edward Said.

Gardels has also contributed to numerous books over the years, including most notably "Conversations with Edward Said" (1995), co-authored with literary critic Edward W. Said; "Co-Creating Change" (1999), which provides an in-depth examination of sustainable development; and "Reinventing the Sacred" (2008), in which he discusses the religious implications of modernity. Gardels' other works include "America and the New World Disorder" (1994) and "Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers" (2007).

The main themes of Gardels’s work revolve around international politics and the implications of globalization. He has explored religious and ethical issues; discussed sustainable development; analyzed the politics of multiculturalism; and written about the West’s relationship with Russia and the Middle East. Gardels has also been a keen critic of war, poverty and inequality, and has been a strong advocate for global justice.

Gardels’s writing has been praised by many prominent thinkers from across the political and ideological spectrum. In 2011, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the field of global diplomacy and for his work in promoting dialogue and understanding.

For decades, Nathan Gardels has worked passionately to open the global conversation and to bring diverging perspectives together in order to better understand the complexities of the 21st century. His powerful and insightful writing continues to enrich and inform our understanding of the world and to help us better grasp the challenges and opportunities we face.