Corporate DispatchPro Cover Story
The age of Merkel In her last 12 months as Chancellor, Angela Merkel registered record approval ratings in five countries outside of Germany. A major study by Pew Research Center in October 2020 found that a median of three-fourths of the populations in 14 countries across the world trusted the four-term leader on world affairs. A powerful advocate for international cooperation, Merkel emerged as the de facto EU leader and a formidable force in the G7. As President of the European Council in 2007, she was a driving force behind the Treaty of Lisbon which strengthened the European Parliament and introduced new checks and balances to the mechanisms of the EU. A committed internationalist, Merkel was a voice of reason in a wave of global crises, from the Recession of the 2008 and the euro currency emergency that followed to the refugee situation from the Syrian civil war and the European response to Covid-19. Wearing her hair in an iconic short crop and her suits in muted tones, the German Leader often cut a figure as a media-shy politician; quite ironic since she started out as a spokesperson for the East German Government after the 1989 Revolutions. Nevertheless, her voice resounds far and wide and she has defended her most controversial decisions with conviction. Facing strong disapproval for accepting a million refugees from Syria in the wake of the catastrophic civil war, Merkel stood firm on her policy, saying it was the right thing to do. Her resoluteness earned her fierce critics, but respect across the board. In one of her first interviews after winning the 2005 elections, the then Chancellor-in-waiting declared her goal to rebuild Germany’s 3
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