Robert Sommer
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- For the environmental psychologist, see Robert Sommer (psychologist)
Robert Sommer is one of the top ministers of the 'Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs'.
Mr Sommer is the current director-general of the 'Department for Security Policy and Bilateral Relations' (with the USA, Canada, Russia and other CIS countries), which is one of the ten departments of the Ministry.
There was some controversy circumstancing Mr Sommer's rise to the job, when he left SV (the Socialist Left Party) and joined AP (the Norwegian Labour Party). Sommer's opponents accused him for lacking true allegiance to his former party, but Mr Sommer himself has declared multiple times that his change of political beliefs was a long and slow process and had nothing to do with his job possibilities.
Robert Sommer proved to be a popular director-general, much because of his friendly, but strict policy towards the United States and his strong commitment to Norwegian national security. Mr Sommer believed, much in contrast to the government, that the Norwegian community was in far more danger then it seemed.
This was best shown when Mr Sommer played a large part in the establishing of the U.S. adopted agency; the 'Counter Terrorist Unit' in Scandinavia during the late nineties.
The establishing of CTU is one of many efforts that proved to be a successful security policy, which has fended off several terrorist plots planned to take place on Norwegian soil. Of these, most notably is the planning of blowing up several Norwegian oil platforms in the North Sea and the assassination plot against the Norwegian Minister of Finance.
It was also CTU, which acted on Mr Sommer’s orders, that apprehended Mullar Krecar and extracted vital information about a terrorist attack towards the American military and Coalition Forces in Iraq. The attack was averted and Mr Sommer won great recognition in the political arena, both domestic and internationally.
Sommer soon realised (with great concern) that as a direct consequence of the ongoing war on terror, the United States and Europe slowly, but surely, became more and more estranged. With his new political fame it was Mr Sommer who, in close collaboration with the Secretary of State, set in motion the talks and summaries that led to somewhat of a healing of the much tested relationship between the U.S and Europe. (Some have also argued that it was the strengthened North Atlantic relationship that forced Iran to shut down their nuclear program one year ago).
Mr Sommer continues to play an important role in Norwegian security policy and bridge-building between nations.
Sommer has expressed a desire to work in the U.N., but in which department is currently unknown.
