Career achievements 

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No figure has loomed as large in German politics as Angela Merkel. Not only was she the Chancellor of Germany, but she was arguably the most powerful voice in the European Union. Merkel was in no way a traditional Chancellor - she is a woman, an Easterner, a devout Lutheran and a trained quantum chemist. Being deeply informed by her religious faith and her scientific background, she has built an image of being able to call on both her strong sense of morality and an objective, logical approach to fact that guides her policy decision making. The dialogue between austerity and altruism are hallmarks of her Chancellorship. 

Her chancellorship will largely be remembered by two key decisions - to bail out struggling European nations in the financial crisis of 2009 and the welcoming of Syrian refugees in 2015. 

The financial crisis of 2009 left many Eurozone nations gasping for air. Namely Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland were poised on the brink of an economic collapse. Germany was faced with a choice - to bail out these nations at great cost, or let them collapse and potentially bring the Euro down with them. Guided by her famed quote “if the Euro fails, Europe fails” Merkel made the decision to bail out these nations and save them from economic collapse. However, this bail-out was filled with clauses. The austerity measures imposed on the bailed out nations restricted their public spending in an effort to minimise debt. Further, the measures made these nations bow to the German manufacturing industry ultimately turning Germany a profit. For example, Germany has earned 2.9 billion euros from Greece alone since the austerity measures were implemented. Although at the time Merkel was lauded for her cosmopolitan bail-outs, in retrospect the German national interest was always at the forefront of her decision making. 

Another moment that will define her career in public memory was the decision to open German borders at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. In response to the humanitarian crisis that loomed over Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa, Merkel decided not to turn a blind eye. Over the course of the year, more than 1 million refugees were admitted across the German border. The decision was controversial, especially within her centre-right party and voter base, however Merkel defended to German Newspaper Welt am Sonntag that “it was an extraordinary situation and I made my decision based on what I thought was right from a political and humanitarian standpoint”. Further, she was not afraid to point the finger as she asserted that nations that have not welcomed refugees “contradict[] the spirit of Europe”. Her slogan “Wir schaffen das!/We can do this!” still echoes through the chambers of governments around the world as proof that welcoming refugees can be done, and it can be done in the national interest. 

Her monumental influence over the EU and the global agenda was perhaps proven most flagrantly in 2016. At the dusk of President Obama’s final Presidential term, there were rumours that Angela Merkel would not contest a fourth term. As the dust settled on the US election and it became clear that Donald Trump would win the election, Obama’s response was quite remarkable. His last phone call as President of the United States was to Angela Merkel, to thank her for her “strong, courageous, and steady leadership”. On his final visit to Europe as President, Obama stopped in Germany. It is also rumoured that in his meeting with Merkel, he asked her to stay on another term - as the liberal world order’s last line of defence.