FAREWELL, MERKEL
THE WEEK|November 14, 2021
The outgoing chancellor led Germany and Europe with her cautious, consensual and incremental approach. Her departure leaves a void which will not be easy to fill
ANITA PRATAP
FAREWELL, MERKEL

5 HITS

  • Opening borders in 2015 to accept refugees
  • Saving eurozone from 2008 financial crisis
  • Defending the liberal international order during the Trump years
  • Endorsing EU bonds worth $950 billion for Covid recovery
  • Abolishing military conscription, accepting same-sex marriages, supporting minimum wages

5 MISSES

  • Incrementalist, without a grand vision
  • Failed to heal the north-south rift in Europe
  • Too much reliance on centrism, ceding space to far-right
  • Failed to address the digital deficit in Germany
  • Became cosy with autocrats to protect German economic interests

After 16 years as German chancellor, Angela Merkel leaves behind a huge legacy. It bears her name, merkeln. The word captures the nuanced, complex and contradictory nature of her legacy. It is her. It is politics. It is life.

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