The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel

Chapter 13 discusses Angela Merkel’s historic decision to open Germany’s borders to refugees in 2015. Merkel’s decision came during a growing refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands fleeing war-torn regions like Syria. This decision, bold for the usually cautious leader, positioned Germany as a moral beacon in a world increasingly leaning toward xenophobia. Merkel proved that her commitment to protecting human rights had never waned.

The chapter also counts a pivotal moment at a town hall meeting in Rostock, when a young Lebanese-Palestinian girl, Reem Sahwil, expressed her fear of being uprooted again, as she had just begun her life in Germany. Merkel offered an initially bureaucratic response, but when the girl started crying Merkel’s response became more empathetic.

As the refugee influx into Germany surged in 2015, with around 500,000 people entering the country, Merkel had to decide to counter the indifference or hostility from other European leaders, such as Britain’s David Cameron and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who adopted hardline stances against refugees. The images of refugees being mistreated in Hungary, particularly at Budapest’s Keleti train station, deeply affected Merkel, reminding her of the historical atrocities that had taken place in Europe only about half a century prior.

In August 2015, Merkel announced that Germany would not turn away refugees, challenging the EU’s Dublin Regulation and calling on other EU members to share the burden. Marton asserts that her declaration was driven by moral clarity and a historical consciousness, reminiscent of the failure of nations to act during the 1938 Êvian Conference, which turned away the Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, abandoning them to Hitler’s army.

Despite facing criticism from various quarters, including from her own party and conservative figures like Henry Kissinger and Helmut Kohl, Merkel’s decision remained unwavering. She believed that Germany had a moral obligation to act and saw the refugee crisis as an opportunity to reaffirm the country’s humanitarian values.

The German public’s response was initially supportive, with volunteers across the country stepping up to assist the refugees. However, Merkel’s policy soon sparked a backlash, particularly from the far-right AfD, which had started as a movement opposing Germany’s support of keeping Greece within the EU economic zone during the financial crisis. In 2015 the AfD started capitalizing on anti-immigrant sentiments to gain political ground.

Merkel’s approach was also informed by her strategic vision of integrating refugees to benefit Germany’s aging workforce. However, she struggled to effectively communicate this rationale to the public, often relying on moral arguments rather than practical justifications.

Chapter 14 outlines the tumultuous year 2016 for Angela Merkel, marked by multiple crises that tested her leadership. Merkel faced a deteriorating EU, a series of terrorist attacks in Germany, and the election of Donald Trump as US President, which threatened her policies and the diplomatic relationships between the two countries built during the decades prior.

Merkel had always been wary of overstaying her political tenure, mindful of Helmut Kohl’s fall from grace after a long term. Kohl’s party was accused of having received illegal donations, leading to Kohl’s resignation and subsequent retirement. As her third term was ending, Merkel planned to step down, but 2016’s events made this impossible.

For one, the Brexit vote on June 23rd, 2016, deeply disappointed her, as it represented a significant setback for the EU and emboldened Russian interests. Furthermore, Germany was hit by several terrorist attacks in 2016, exacerbating public fear and inviting more criticism of Merkel’s refugee policy. Notable incidents included the Würzburg train attack, in which five people were wounded, and the Munich shooting, which left nine people dead. Following these attacks, Merkel addressed the nation, promising more focus on security, while at the same time insisting on the importance of humanitarian values.

In Turkey, a failed coup against President Erdogan led to a crackdown, including the arrest of tens of thousands of Turkish citizens who were seen as a threat to the regime. An almost-complete elimination of independent media followed. This complicated Merkel’s efforts to manage the refugee crisis and maintain stability. Domestically, Merkel faced declining support and rising opposition from the right-wing AfD, but she refused to abandon her refugee policies.

The election of Donald Trump in November 2016 signaled a shift toward isolationism and authoritarianism in the US, which further unsettled Merkel. Encouraged by outgoing President Obama, Merkel decided to run for a fourth term, seeing it as her duty to counter rising global populism and authoritarianism.

The year ended with a tragic terrorist attack at a Berlin Christmas market, which left 12 people dead and 56 injured, putting even more pressure on Merkel and her policies. Despite these challenges, Merkel remained committed to her principles, preparing to continue leading Germany.

Chapter 15 details Merkel’s interactions with Donald Trump and her strategy going forward. Merkel prepared extensively for her first meeting with Trump by studying his past interviews, books, and TV shows to understand his personality and tendencies in communication. She found his rallies, especially the “Lock her up!” chant directed at Hillary Clinton, particularly disturbing. Despite her efforts to comprehend and adapt to Trump's behavior, she remained skeptical of his ability to change once in office. In contrast, President Trump prepared for his first meeting with Merkel only briefly, receiving the briefing notes while in the washroom the morning of the meeting.

In their first meeting in March 2017, Merkel attempted to navigate Trump’s volatile nature with careful diplomacy. She avoided lecturing him and maintained her composure despite his erratic behavior and offensive remarks. The meeting accentuated the challenges Merkel faced in dealing with Trump, whose approach to leadership was starkly different from her own.

Throughout Trump’s presidency, Merkel struggled to confront Trump’s disregard for NATO and the EU. Trump continuously claimed that the US contributed to NATO much more than other members and that the others, especially Germany, owed money to the US. Moreover, Trump’s erratic tweets and public statements further frustrated Merkel’s efforts to maintain communication.

Merkel’s irritation with Trump’s behavior became evident in 2018, during the G7 summit in Canada, where a tense exchange between the leaders displayed the growing rift. Therefore, by mid-2018, Merkel had largely accepted the limitations of her influence over Trump and focused instead on strengthening the EU. She left negotiations and communication between Germany and the US in the hands of ambassadors and advisors.

Merkel also faced personal challenges, which added to her stressful mandate. In 2019, her mother, Herlind Kasner, whom Merkel was very close to, died at 90 years old. While she kept a stern appearance in public in Germany, she nevertheless appeared more affected by the loss outside her home country, for example during a visit to Cambridge. The stress of those years resulted in a deterioration of Merkel’s health, with several episodes of trembling in public, such as during the visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.