Angela Merkel – the “soft power” like no other and a “moral compass” – like no other

For nearly two decades, Germany being one of the world’s largest and most advanced economies had just one leader – Angela Merkel. But now, she has decided to bid goodbye. It is hard to imagine a Germany and indeed a world without the presence of the ever polite but an extremely astute and determined Angela. As she leaves office Germany has found itself out of its comfort zone in world politics. Angela was not defeated in an election, instead she left by choice while still enjoying a remarkable 70% approval rating. As they say, it is good to leave when people ask why, than when they ask why not….

Angela, daughter of a priest, brought ethics to politics. Times Person of the Year 2015, the fall of Berlin Wall led to the rise of Angela’s political career – a shy woman, thrown in the spotlight. Angela is arguably the most powerful and influential woman leader of all times – a woman leader long before America even thought of one. Her raise was especially surprising considering how little the people around the world thought of her as a leader.

Although Angela has never been the type to grab the headlines, her rise to power and her tenure was no bed of roses. She was underestimated by pretty much every political figure across the world. She was mocked by many as the “Milk Maid”. Even her mentor Helmut Kohl used to tease her for her provincial manner. She was a butt of jokes for her political peers. Long after she established herself as a political force to recon with, Angela still had to contend with many world leaders (coincidentally all men) who did not treat her as a political equal. Who can forget Silvio Berlusconi arriving at a summit with his phone stuck to his ear leaving his gracious German host Angela waiting for him for over 8 minutes to finish his call (the time she spent greeting the other world leaders) before walking away! And that over-friendly and patronising shoulder massage by President George W Bush at another summit. President Trump refused to even shake hands with Angela (although some would argue this is for the best knowing what Trump can get up to with a woman!). President Putin had the temerity to bring a large dog (which looked larger than a tiger) to a meeting with Angela knowing full well that she has a fear of dogs. But she was deft in handling the situation and she even joked about it with Putin.

If Angela has taught us anything at all – it is to never underestimate a shy mild-mannered woman. She was not fazed by the sausage fest, instead, she faced-down crisis after crisis and she was not just a calming and stabilising force but also became the de-facto leader of the whole of Europe and kept everything from falling apart – whether it is the 2009 debt crisis, the fleeing refugees from Syria, the Pandemic or the military crisis in Ukraine which she negotiated with the same Putin who brought that big dog to scare her. In critical moments she intervened and took bold steps to help humanity. Not the least of which is her daring decision to commit Germany to give up nuclear power after the Fukushima tragedy in Japan.

Such a long political tenure changes people, it makes them tough. But if we meet Merkel privately, she still radiates the aura of a young girl. She is clever, fast thinking, funny and charming all at the same time. And she likes jokes.

Angela was originally thinking of stepping down in 2017, but when Trump was elected President of the USA, she put her retirement plans on hold (after conferring with President Obama) since the world, more than ever before, needed a proper leader. At their final meeting President Obama remembers a lone tear drop appearing on Angela’s eyes. Angela inspired an entire generation of young women all over the world and showed what women can achieve against all odds.

Angela Merkel visited India four times and she is known to have said that running a country like India takes a lot of skill. It is one of the things she admires about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As she often says, “It is so difficult to be in his shoes.”