Angela Merkel is increasingly referred to as the 'leader of the free world.' Yet it is a title she herself does not want. She is not defined by her aspirations, but rather by her pragmatism, says Kay-Alexander Scholz.
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Image: Reuters/A. Marcarian
The best remedy for populism and oversimplification in politics is to keep a level head and not fall into the trap of emotion. Pragmatism guards against ideology, and public humility against the dangers of political showmanship. That has been Angela Merkel's political trademark.
Theresa May has just been painfully reminded of what can happen if one bites off more than one can chew and at the same time misjudges the political climate. In contrast, Merkel, after two surprise regional election victories, has warned that federal elections have yet to be won. Chancellor Merkel's motto has always been: Keep your feet on the ground. That, despite the fact that she would seem to have every reason to celebrate: Her challenger, Martin Schulz, has tripped over his own cocky behavior and his Social Democratic Party's surprising surge earlier this year has already faded. The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has also been taken down a notch, putting it back where it belongs in the polls. Still, there are three months before federal elections and anything can happen.
Chancellor in her twelfth year
Nevertheless, anyone who thinks that Angela Merkel is not pursuing ambitious goals is fooling themselves. Merkel just happens to appear more low-key and often remains vague in her statements. Her comments that Europe has to be more self-reliant and less dependent on help from its transatlantic partner, the United States, is typical Merkel. Behind the statement is the calculus that the current Trump disaster will put wind in the sails for a new level of European Union cooperation. As that will not be easy, it is smarter to work slow and steady on the project rather than trying to hammer it out all at once.
Merkel has been managing major European crises for years – Greece, the Euro, Ukraine and refugees. Germany was in a position of leadership in all of those instances because other countries, or even the EU, were doing too little. Merkel was forced to learn a number of lessons throughout. For instance, that one simply cannot convince the neighbors or the EU with a know-it-all approach. And that one should not overestimate one's own abilities. When that happens – as was the case in the refugee crisis – other countries back away and Europe begins to drift apart. Yet, a lesson learned is a lesson learned.
Kay-Alexander Scholz is DW's Berlin correspondent
Enough to do in Europe
It seems as if Angela Merkel has been chancellor forever. If she ever pens an autobiography she will be able to write anecdotes about dozens of European politicians. In the end, she has consolidated a great amount of power not only in Germany but also in Europe.
Still, it is extremely unlikely that she plans to position herself as the leader of the free world as so many pundits have claimed. Merkel knows full well that she would be woefully overplaying her political hand should she ever act on such impulses. Especially because she has enough to do here in "little" old Europe. The fact that Germany is a global economic power will do nothing to change that.
But part of her responsibilities in Europe dictate that she keep a close eye on other regions. Germany is intent upon fighting the causes of migration at the source, and has therefore introduced initiatives to address such problems in regions like Africa. However, as stated, such initiatives have less to do with global politics than with the primary desire to reduce migratory pressure on Europe.
On track for a fourth term as chancellor
Who would have thought? She was seen as a stopgap after Helmut Kohl. But for the last 16 years she has led the CDU and for the last 12, she's led Germany's government. And the Merkel era may well continue.
Image: Reuters/M. Rehle
Taking her first oath
"I want to serve Germany." This was Merkel's promise during her campaign to become chancellor. After a very narrow election win, her moment came on November 22, 2005. Merkel was sworn in as the first female chancellor and the first from former East Germany. She became head of a grand coalition government combining her Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the defeated Social Democrats (SPD).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Bergmann
Who's afraid of Putin's pooch?
On the foreign policy front, Merkel had to face a powerful adversary. She is known for her steady nerves. But Vladimir Putin apparently wanted to test the chancellor's limits when he received her in 2007. He soon found Merkel's weakness: the chancellor is afraid of dogs. Despite this, or maybe because of it, Putin's late labrador, Konni (or Connie Paulgrave), was put on a long leash.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Astakhov
Rainy day funds
Merkel usually keeps her cool - which has often helped her during crises. When financial markets collapsed in 2008 and the German economy was being pulled down with them, Merkel took action. Later, she was closely involved in constructing the eurozone's rescue funds. Broadly speaking, Germany emerged unscathed. But Merkel's austerity measures were felt by others, especially Greeks and Spaniards.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/H. Villalobos
A second term, with the desired coalition
Despite achieving the second-worst post-war electoral result for the CDU/CSU, the parliamentary elections on 27th September 2009 were a victory for Merkel. After the unwelcome grand coalition with the Social Democrats, she was now able to govern with her preferred partner, the pro-business liberals from the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Image: Getty Images/A. Rentz
Quick to pull the plug
As a physics graduate, Merkel reputedly plans by starting at the end. Yet she couldn't predict the nuclear disaster in high-tech Japan. The 2011 Fukushima accident transformed the atomic energy supporter into an opponent overnight. The recently-approved extensions to German nuclear reactors' running time were quickly canceled. Contrary to her manifesto, Germany would stop producing nuclear power.
Image: Getty Images/G. Bergmann
Germany's low-key 'First Man'
Would anyone recognize him? Would they know his voice? During Merkel's 10 years in power, her husband, Joachim Sauer, has passed almost unnoticed. The professor for physical and theoretical chemistry at Berlin's Humboldt University married Merkel in 1998. When his wife is on official business, he discretely stays in the background. But in their private lives, the reverse sometimes seems to apply.
Image: picture alliance/Infophoto
NSA: friendship put to the test
A racy affair. When close ally the US, of all countries, was found to be intercepting top German politicians' phone calls. Even Merkel's cell phone was not safe from the secret service. Merkel took her time in commenting on the revelations about the wiretapped phones - a domestic and foreign policy disaster for her. One comment stuck in the memory: "Listening in on friends - that's just not on!"
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
The Greek patient
Merkel has a large global fan base, but it is somewhat smaller in Greece. Nowhere has she been so demonized as in Greece during the peak of the eurozone's sovereign debt difficulties. Old animosities were rekindled, but the chancellor stayed firm: save, introduce economic reform, bring in cuts - these were her demands of the government in Athens.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/S. Pantzartzi
Emotional, at least once
A controlled woman known for her minimal gestures and facial expressions, she could not keep to official protocol and its dictated restraints at the World Cup Final in Rio - happily cheering together with President Joachim Gauck. She was at the high point of her popularity and so was the German national football team. These two have been highly influential in shaping Germany's international image.
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We can do this...can't we?
Had Merkel found her calling? As hundreds of thousands of refugees came to Germany via the Balkans, the chancellor said that asylum law knows no upper limits. "We can do this!" was Merkel's credo during the refugee crisis. She claimed to have a plan. But in the meantime, many Germans are questioning: "Can we do this?" It remains an open question.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
What's next, Mrs. Merkel?
It was on a Friday the 13th - November's 2015 massacre in Paris. France declared a state of emergency. Angela Merkel offered her neighbors "full support." Fear of terrorism was rampant. Without question, she was confronted with her greatest challenge to date on the tenth anniversary of her tenure.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka
With friends like these...
At the CSU party convention in November 2015, the chancellor was dragged over the coals by her Bavarian allies. Horst Seehofer took Merkel to task - accusing her of losing control of the borders with her refugee policies. It was a humiliation that Merkel had to endure standing up, without any chance to respond.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Hoppe
Couldn't he stay a little longer?
Merkel might have welcomed a third Barack Obama term. At first, she was skeptical of him. The NSA scandal with her tapped cell phone was reason enough for her to hold something back. But now a reliable partner is leaving the political stage to make way for Donald Trump. The "New York Times" has since called Merkel "the liberal West's last defender."
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
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Preparing for the G20 summit in July
Some commentators are putting far too much stock in the chancellor's current Latin America trip to G20 states Argentina and Mexico. Is Merkel forging a new global alliance? Those who recall the fact that the trip was planned long ago, and is in no way a knee-jerk reaction to the policies of the Trump administration, will quickly realize that this is not the case. Furthermore, Germany currently heads the G20, and will be handing over its chairmanship to Argentina next year. In order to facilitate more continuity in dealing with longterm issues, the German government has spoken of a leadership troika comprised of the former (China), current (Germany) and future (Argentina) chairs.
Mexico is also a member of the G20, which was created in 1999 and held its first leaders' summit in 2008. Mexico is an important trading partner for Germany and will be the featured partner country at Germany's important Hanover Trade Fair in 2018. That is also why Merkel is being accompanied by an economic delegation on the trip.
Moreover, this July's G20 summit will take place in Hamburg. Thus, it makes sense that as host, Merkel is interested in clarifying positions. Of course, free trade is a priority. Nevertheless, Germany is not the Mercosur countries' trading partner when it comes to free trade agreements, the European Union is. But it is also clear that if an international event such as the G20 is successful, the chancellor will have been effectively campaigning for herself. Merkel would not be Merkel if she were not acutely aware of that fact, and did not know how to use it to her advantage as an incumbent.
Editor's note: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the G20 was founded in 2008, not in 1999. This has been corrected.
