Marton describes Merkel as cautious, relying heavily on facts, consistent with her scientific training. Rarely emotional, she had a significant emotional commitment to some issues... The first was Israel. In a 2008 speech to the Knesset, the Chancellor said the “Shoah fills us Germans with shame... Israel’s security is non-negotiable.” She was wildly applauded and invited back many times.
Another issue was refugees. During the 2015 refugee crisis, Merkel welcomed over a million asylum seekers into Germany. Her constituents’ response ranged from a vigorous welcome to angry opposition. According to Marton, Merkel had never seen her country so divided.
Merkel was almost as big a fan of the US as she was of soccer. Her heroes were Ronald Reagan and Bush ‘41, in part due to their strong opposition to Communism. Obama became her close friend. But she was disillusioned with Trump, who did not act or talk like the other American Presidents. Merkel recognized Trump as inherently an autocrat, a species of leader she detested.
Marton says that Merkel was more interested in global affairs than domestic ones, though her constituents probably felt differently. She was sometimes called the chancellor of Europe, as though to acknowledge her leadership. She jousted with Putin and negotiated with Xi Jinping.
Pete Souza on the photo above: "We were at the G7 Summit in Krün, Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the leaders and outreach guests to make their way to a bench for a group photograph. The President happened to sit down first, followed closely by the Chancellor. I only had time to make a couple of frames before the background was cluttered with other people." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Copyright © 2022 Jo Freeman
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