In Germany, the latest polls show Merkel’s handling of the pandemic has helped her achieve the highest approval ratings since 2017, which goes with her strong media presence as a crisis manager on German TV screens. And it seems to be paying off,- The Atlantic Īnd there are similar reports from London, where one reporter noted that at almost every government press conference, journalists ask why Downing Street is not following Germany’s example. “For weeks now, Germany’s leader has deployed her characteristic rationality, coupled with an uncharacteristic sentimentality, to guide the country through what has thus far been a relatively successful battle against COVID-19,” The Atlantic wrote.Īngela Merkel: With 30 yrs of political experience,& facing an enormous challenge that begs calm, reasoned thinking, Merkel is at peak performance modeling the humble credibility of a scientist at work. Anyone who has read current issues of The Atlantic, Forbes and the New York Times will find praise for Merkel wrapped up with criticism of Trump. But it is also praise that shows up the fact that this kind of leadership is now scarce internationally. ![]() This is praise that many in Germany are tired of after 15 years of Merkel’s chancellorship because it emphasizes less her political struggles than her crisis leadership. The commentator even went on to coin a word in Spanish, “Merkelina,” to describe the “sobriety and determination” of her political leadership “by trying to solve problems and not trying to derive political benefit from those problems.” In March, the New Zealand Herald published an article headlined “Germany’s leader shines in crisis even as power wanes.” Earlier this week, a comment in Clarin, Argentina’s most widely read daily, became a hymn of praise to the chancellor.Ĭommentator Ricardo Roa wrote of the “65-year-old doctor of physics, daughter of a Lutheran pastor and a Latin teacher,” who, even after 15 years at the top of power, behaves “like a normal person.” In the coronavirus crisis, Merkel is “one of the very few” politicians worldwide who do not protect themselves but “lead.” “She communicates with scientific rigor. This assessment coincides with op-eds, political appraisals and social-media posts the world over. “Merkel gets attention as a leader who can make people understand the situation and explain it clearly to people.” “The media here looks at Merkel as one of the world’s strongest leaders,” Amichai Stein, diplomatic correspondent for Israeli public TV station Kan, told DW. But no, she’s still there, like an old VW Beetle: reliable, unadorned, a little awkward.Īt the moment, Merkel is having a day in the sun of the kind she has not had for many years - both nationally and, even more so, internationally. Two years ago, even “Merkelites” in her parliamentary group were expecting a withdrawal sometime in 2019. Political observers have sorted Chancellor Angela Merkel into the lame-duck drawer many times in the last few years: after the poor showing of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the 2017 federal elections, then when she resigned as party leader in 2018, and then again during the various attempts by her former rival Friedrich Merz to take over as political leader in 20. With their political shelf-life suddenly measurable, such figures are condemned to being considered weakened and less effective. His successor, François Hollande, leaped into the fray in Ukraine, joining with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to generate the Minsk II Protocol in February 2015 - which turned into a series of vague and largely unenforceable undertakings that led to four more years of bloody conflict.“Lame duck” is the usual term given to politicians who don’t want to or can’t run for office again. In 2008, then-President Nicolas Sarkozy flew to Georgia to set terms for a peace that brought an end to the invasion of that nation by Russia. France is accustomed to playing peacemaker in Europe. The path to this summit has not been an easy one, though. ![]() And Europe itself is acquiring new leadership, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel a lame-duck placeholder and French President Emmanuel Macron eager to fill her shoes. Meanwhile, Ukraine has acquired a new, young, vigorous president whose campaign hinged on bringing an end to the bloody conflict - on Ukraine’s terms. Since then, Ukraine’s tilt to the West has only accelerated - visa-free travel to the European Union, a stronger military based on American and European weaponry.
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