Chancellor Merkel and Queen Victoria (UPDATE)

Posted by Joerg Wolf in German Politics, International Economics on Monday, January 29. 2007

"In her keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for closer trans-Atlantic cooperation, saying it would benefit both American and European economies." reports Spiegel International.
Foreign Policy Passport has learned in Davos:

The most powerful female political figure in Europe since Queen Victoria has turned the methodical scientific training from her upbringing in Communist East Germany into a formula for gaining admirers worldwide.

Has Foreign Policy Passport forgotten Margaret Thatcher? I wonder how long this admiration for Mrs. Merkel will last... When will they realize that Chancellor Merkel is not all that powerful? Unlike Baroness Thatcher, Merkel is in a coalition government. Besides, power depends on having international partners, but Blair, Chirac, and even Bush look more and more like lame ducks.

Meanwhile in Germany: "Only 22 percent of Germans were of the opinion that their government was run in an effective and goal-oriented manner, according to a survey conducted by Infratest dimap for German public broadcaster ARD.

Another 79 percent of those polled said the grand coalition of Christian and Social Democrats spent more time dealing with political questions inside of their own parties instead of facing the nation's business." wrote DW World in December.

UPDATE: FP Blog gives "credit to Davos for sparking a mini-revival of Doha Round trade talks. The Economist is excited that the EU and the United States now seem serious about a deal."

UPPERDATE: I am still surprised by the American media's love affair with Mrs. Merkel. Clay Risen's article in The New Republic Online has the headline "Angela Merkel, Superstar" and starts with this comparison:

Gender differences aside, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President George W. Bush seem to have a lot in common. They are both conservative heads of government. They have both seen their market-oriented agendas stymied by opposition, often from within their own parties (though in Germany, such reforms are actually needed). And they are both deeply unpopular among voters--in fact, both are outshone in polls by their top diplomats, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But those similarities stop at the water's edge. For while Bush is one of the world's most reviled leaders, Merkel is just a few fans shy of international rock star status.

In my humble opinion none of these comparisons are correct. Conservatism and market-oriented reforms in Germany are different from those in the US. Besides, due to the Murat Kurnaz affair, Steinmeier's popularity rightfully took a dive: Merkel and Steinmeier currently both have a popularity rating of 1.6 at Politbarometer (slide 3), i.e. both are now the most popular politicians in Germany; followed by Kurt Beck (1.1).
Clay Risen praises Merkel for resolving a bitter European budget dispute soon after taking office in 2005, for restarting the EU constitutional talks, for sending German warships to help police the ceasefire in Lebanon and for taking "tough stands against Iran, China, and Russia," as well as reinvigorating transatlantic trade talks. He continues to praise Merkel's "clear vision" without describing how exactly that vision looks like:

"The 52-year-old chancellor has emerged as the leading political actor in Europe--not to mention the go-to person in Europe for Washington," wrote The New York Times's Mark Landler. What makes Merkel particularly attractive is that, unlike her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, she has a clear vision for where Europe and the world are going, and for how Germany can play a role. As she wrote in a recent essay for The Economist, "Globalisation brings with it a host of new and different challenges--for politics, economics, and society. The European Union, too, must respond to these. The world will not wait for Europe." This means market reforms to make German and European companies more competitive, legal reforms to strengthen intellectual property rights, and regulatory coordination to make international business more efficient. While Merkel usually focuses her attention on the EU's economic and political consilience, one of her underlying themes is the importance of European values in the twenty-first century world. As she said in her opening speech at the European Parliament last week, "Europe's soul is tolerance."

Endnote: Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman describes the peculiar "Davos nights." Very funny.

Permalink - Comments (9)

Defined tags for this entry: Economics, Germany, Merkel

Welcome! You are reading the ATLANTIC REVIEW -- a Press Digest on Transatlantic Relations combined with commentary and analysis by three young professionals from Germany, the Netherlands and the United States. More about us.

The horizontal menu bar at the top helps to navigate this site.

Subscribe to one of our RSS-Feeds or to our newsletter, which is emailed twice per month.

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

Zyme - #1 - 2007-01-29 16:45 -

"When will they realize that Chancellor Merkel is not all that powerful? Unlike Baroness Thatcher, Merkel is in a coalition government. Besides, power depends on having international partners, but Blair, Chirac, and even Bush look more and more like lame ducks."

hihi :)
Don´t you think power can also result from an international competition being in a weak political position? ;)

Especially a weak leadership in France and Britain is perfect for our leadership. This way, they can´t interfere in european matters all the time.

Comments ()

Fuchur - #2 - 2007-01-29 17:28 -

'Davos Nights' is brilliant :-). Nice to see that our tax money is being put to good use ;-) ...

Comments ()

Don S - #3 - 2007-01-29 18:20 -

One distinct improvement on last year, anyway. Senator Kerry has not been reported as phoning instructions to his fellow Senators from Davos to his fellow Senators this year.

Senator Kerry learns slowly it sometimes seems. But never say he doesn't learn after having been seared with a blowtorch..... ;)

Comments ()

Don S - #3.1 - 2007-01-29 18:34 -

"phoning instructions to his fellow Senators from Davos to his fellow Senators this year."

But I repeat myself! Unlike Senator Kerry I do not learn to proofread from experience!

Comments ()

JW-Atlantic Review - #4 - 2007-01-30 00:21 -

Google Alerts brought me another article about "superstar" Angela Merkel. So I wrote an upperdate.

I know Schroeder was not popular in the US. This explains some of Merkel's huge popularity, but it does not explain it all.

Popularity is one thing, but having the capability to deliver is another... Merkel is in a coalition government and the German public will probably oppose German participation in a war with Iran, if it comes to that...

Describing Merkel as a "superstar" and a "rock star" and comparing her power with Queen Victoria is a bit over the top, isn't it?

I think Merkel is okay. I appreciate that she is improving transatlantic relations and is talking tough with Putin, but otherwise I am not very impressed with her foreign policy. She was successful with those EU budget negotiations etc., but I doubt whether the EU constitution push will go anywhere.

I don't quite get it.

Was Helmut Kohl as popular in the US as Merkel is now?
Hm, I guess he was...

What do you think about Merkel's stardom?

Comments ()

Don S - #4.1 - 2007-01-30 13:27 -

Huge populsrity, Jorg? As in 'the huge polularity of John Kennedy in Germany'? No I don't see it either. What I might see is a sense of relief more than anything. S

choeder was driving the US-Germany relationship right off a cliff. Merkel has changed the path to drive along the edge or perhaps backward a little. Not a reversal of the Schoeder/Fischer policy but an improvement.

Comments ()

Bill - #4.2 - 2007-01-30 13:46 -

Just the fact that she can hold her own in the acrimonious, backstabbing atmosphere of German politics today makes her likable. Plus she has up to now not attempted to create a new "Axis of Weasels" and destroy decades of transatlantic relations as Gerd (Gerhard Schröder) and Jacques ChIraq (Chirac) did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_weasels

Her apparent lack of "power" amongst the German voting public has more to do with her team members (the present coaliton partners) than with her own abilities and willpower to govern. If I were you guys (the Germans) I'd do my best to keep her around for awhile because the alternative "is not an option" at the moment. In other words, the German poltical bench of wannabes that would succeed Angela Merkel as Bundeskanzler(in) sucks.

Whatever you do, whatever-you-do, DON'T send Guido Westerwelle (leader of the opposition FDP party) to the top job in Berlin. I can see the international press headlines now...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Westerwelle

Comments ()

Pat Patterson - #5 - 2007-01-30 03:06 -

The less power they have the more popular the politicians seem to be. But when they actually exercise some of that power then the popularity fades. We seem to love our politicians to stand pugnaciously astride the word and speak of good deeds and of good hopes. But when the solutions involve discomfort we cry out that they have betrayed all that wonderful unity and support.

Comments ()

Saa - #6 - 2007-01-30 14:17 -

No doubt she is a competent woman but her govt. without coalition cannot run the country alone. Her popularity in US is only as she has given a cooperative hand to Bush, while last govt. did not.

Comments ()

Only registered users may post comments here. Get your own account here and then log into this blog. Your browser must support cookies.

The author does not allow comments to this entry

We appreciate any thoughtful comment!

Would you like to read more?
Have a look at our directory of Atlantic Review posts.

Or check out the constantly updated reading recommendations from our readers in the sidebar: "Tips From Our Readers."
More information on this project in this post. Feel free to comment on any article recommended in the sidebar.

BBCode format allowed. You can make a clickable link with this code:
If you write "[url=http://america-germany.atlanticreview.org]Carnival of US-German Relations[/url]", then this will be displayed: "Carnival of US-German Relations".
And if you write "[url]http://atlanticreview.org/mustreads.html[/url]", then this will be displayed: "http://atlanticreview.org/mustreads.html"

Sponsor

Fulbright Alumni e.V.

Interested in supporting
the Atlantic Review? Please
contact us

Tips From Our Readers

(More)

The above links on transatlantic issues have been recommended by trusted readers. More information about this web 2.0 project ;-)

Latest Comments

Don S about Atlantica: A Threat to American Freedom

I'm not at all afraid of a true free trade area with Europe, the Reagan/Thatcher [...]Comments ()

Don S about Atlantica: A Threat to American Freedom

Tis true, Pat. Actually the baning of US produce from the EU isn't the fault of the [...]Comments ()

Pat Patterson about Atlantica: A Threat to American Freedom

In re; Roland Emmerich has been making films about the either a radically altered [...]Comments ()

Don S about Atlantica: A Threat to American Freedom

"And three years later it is likely to get even worse, because "there is a movement [...]Comments ()

Don S about Atlantica: A Threat to American Freedom

"cause the Earth to topple from its axis" Global Warming? Well, that certainly [...]Comments ()

Don S about Another Crazy Bush-Hitler Comparison

". the Bush government, which, inasmuch as it illegally imprisoned and tortured [...]Comments ()

Google the Site

Hot Topics

Click on one of the following links to see all Atlantic Review posts about this topic in a chronological order with the latest post on top:

Afghanistan

Anti-Americanism

Economics

Iran

Iraq

Merkel

Polls

Terrorism

Click here for the full list of all topics.