Has guided not only germany but europe through the headlines and cross currents of an changing world. We welcome and we honor the foreign turn chancellor of germany for an excellent see. A standing ovation and an honorary doctorate for the woman who has led germany for nearly 14 years and appearance that had been announced by Harvard University with a glossy promotional trailer. A video with all the trappings of a hollywood blockbuster yet just a few months earlier the chancellor had announced she would not seek reelection use of your time this will be my last as chancellor of the federal republic of germany. The announcement heralded the end of an era even as other World Leaders came and went until america remained a central figure for 13 years she had served as a mediator and crisis manager on the world stage. How could such a seemingly unassuming woman succeed in remaining in office for so many years. Being underestimated can be very useful at times because it takes a while to become clear that big things lie ahead. She thought she has a modest unpretentious demeanor and she has 0 interest in material things these days in the. Chancellor and. The head of the party shes remained completely free of scandal. Shes certainly been able to take advantage of the fact that germany places a very high value on stability. In a way i think america deserves some of the blame for the trouble in europe right a lot of people. Believe that bracks it might not have happened probably i would say she has no strategy she has no strategic goal where she wants to take society and thats her true flaunts this is coverage day of your mind and you just go in there theres no red thread of conviction or there is is a pragmatics of the power. 2005 the polls had just closed in what appeared a dead heat but the incumbent chancellor Gerhard Schroeder seemed to short of victory and. Do you seriously believe that my party will agree to an offer of talks under these circumstances after all is said she wants to be chancellor carried away. By nov 22nd the winner of the showdown was clear the newly elected. Chancellor at 51 she was the youngest ever to hold that position. Vote in favor 197. Her predecessor was not the only one who had underestimated her. Even. Now become germanys 1st democratically elected female head of government that sends a powerful message to many women and no doubt to some men as well. For us in germany to get used to the idea that was doing the job. She never made a song and dance about coming from the former east germany or being a woman that would have done nothing for her. Being a woman is not a political catch a great so i cant think of anything about that that you could explain by saying its because shes a woman. Theyre also men who focus on. Careful in their deliberations. Of anything it would have to be her distain for pretension her concept of power also her tendency to avoid showy displays of power. Which she always saw as absurd. Year furnish a fish for. Until america was raised in the former communist east germany she spent a quiet untroubled childhood on the outskirts of the town of templin. Its been i threw up in the countryside and it was one of the things that shaped me cause i clear up in a clergymans household and had to haran so i could discuss anything with. I was an upbringing with a lot of intellectual stimulation you know more than youd normally see in a small town in east germany and. There are you know she was born until a customer in hamburg west germany in 1954 a few weeks before her father except that a post as pastor in the east. I was an ordinary child i might have had the odd tantrum or 2 but i wasnt particularly stubborn nor value. The. List. It was a childhood between 2 worlds raised as a christian under a communist regime. Like the 1980 s. Im going to america had a doctorate in physics and was working at the academy of sciences in east berlin her 1st marriage ended in divorce but she kept her former husbands last name marco. What was looking like a quiet life as a Research Scientist was interrupted on november 9th 1989. The wall dividing east from west germany fell. Down the day she said to me mother ive never been much of a civic activist so joining an activist movement isnt my thing she said shed also considered the social democrats and january 990 they still look like they might do really well here then shes. Thought that make it on their own we need something new that was her pragmatic mind speaking and then came the east german Democratic Movement the democratic awakening which included pasta ragna eprom and she said its chaos there they need me. Soon thereafter in spring 1900 until america was appointed deputy spokesperson for the 1st and only democratically elected east German Government that was the turning point she joined the christian democrats the c. D. U. And began a rapid and grueling rise up the political ladder. Young a woman and from the east a fresh face for chancellor helmut kohl as west and male dominated c. D. U. Calls protege medical was appointed minister for women and youth in the 1st cabinet of the reunify germany in november 1909 a year after losing the chancellorship cole was still the honorary chair and gruelling patriarch of the christian democrats but then came a scandal. Party the c. D. U. Had run an illicit slush Fund Involving donor contributions it was the biggest scandal in postwar german politics. Broke ranks and made a move that would rock the already shaken old guard. In a prominent daily she wrote an article proclaiming the end of the cole era. A few months later merkel was party chairwoman. This was the moment she would later reveal when she 1st believed she could become chancellor. The men thought lets make this mother figure party leader and send her packing after a year or at most 2. That proved to be a huge miscalculation because she sent them packing. In 2005 im going to medical and her party had a narrow win her 1st. Never meant was a coalition of her christian democrats never varian sister party the c. S. U. And the deposed social democrats it made little headway at 1st and was slow to implement reforms in her 1st 2 years america was a cautious leader critics said she was just muddling through. Im somebody who tends to decide on the name. Im often accused of being slow to get out of the starting block slow to take action of letting things strain on. But for me its always important to work through all the possible options as to what should be done and not just as a theoretical exercise or a thought experiment i try to live with them. Through going to turns to hesitate to do a lot and wait for majority opinion to emerge before taking a stand but sometimes she gets a jolt and makes a decision from one day to the next and its us about math. That goes 1st major challenges chancellor came during her 3rd year in office the Global Financial crisis required intensive management major banks were in danger of collapse and the merkel government provided billions of euros to save them. The chancellor assured the public that their deposits were safe. While her diplomatic touch and talent for compromise were often interpreted at home as a weakness abroad they arent her respect and praise at the 2007 g 8 summit on germanys baltic coast medical succeeded with a mix of principle and persuasion in getting the assembled leaders to agree on a Climate Change strategy. She even brought on board us president joy. Bush not the most environmentally aware of contemporary statesman. Its a very important quality to be able to engage with your counterparts and to signal to them i take you seriously im listening and i want to hear what you have to say. Thats what america looks part. You underestimate her youve already launched this is it good for she is always very very well prepared and she knows all the details. So you have to really know the material if you want to have a serious discussion with her and hardly disclose who influenced. The 2009 elections saw the c. D. U. C. S. U. Bloc post their 2nd worst showing in 60 years but they still managed to secure a coalition with their preferred partners the center right free democrats. Although the economy was struggling the new Government Cut taxes and took on record new debt. I. But the dream turned sour as the coalition became beset with internal squabbles meaningful policymaking proved elusive important debates were overshadowed by rivalries within the coalition. For the chancellor it was an often frustrating experience. In late 2010 medicals government decided to extend the lifespan of germanys Nuclear Power plants. Just months later it made a dramatic u. Turn. And then all of sudden fukushima happened the Nuclear Disaster in japan and within a week or 2 america had changed course on that and decided no were going to get out of Nuclear Power that upset a lot of people in our conservative party that upset a lot of people in german industry theyre afraid of Rising Energy costs but she did it was an emotional sort of reaction to the. Nuclear disaster in fukushima. Not just that i realized straight away that this would also affect us all and then i quickly decided that we would need at the very least a social consensus were guarding the use of Nuclear Energy because it. Says among that there can and. Its just that i believe it was a kind of overnight decision. She decided to seize the opportunity and also to send a message to society. And her name would be associated with the decision to end Nuclear Power and she would end up in the history books because she spoke. Within germany the fukushima disaster put an end to a discussion that had dragged on for years the longstanding Energy Policy debate seemingly vanished overnight. Merkels government decided to decommission Nuclear Plants by 2022 and to rapidly scale up the use of renewable energy. During markel 2nd term the Global Financial and economic crisis remained a pivotal issue and developed into a euro crisis. Southern euro. And states were in dire straits while greece appeared headed for bankruptcy. The german chancellor repeatedly insisted that greece would only receive a bailout if the country agreed to reduce public spending and institute austerity reforms. That need to then mr president ladies and gentlemen afterthoughts must be focused not on rushing in to help prematurely us in the wash but on ensuring that the entire house is put in order. That stands faced little opposition within her own ranks unlike in greece as athens slashed Public Sector wages and pensions and fired Civil Servants protesters in greece singled out one person to blame until america is this she doesnt care a whole what kind of image is being drawn what she cares about is political consistency to gains. This. In mid 2013 towards the end of merkel 2nd term the n. S. A. Spying scandal broke details emerged of a widespread internet and telephone Surveillance Program run by washington for many response was too little too late. To stop him ever since we started to talk about the n. S. A. I have repeatedly told the american president that we dont spy on afrin ones if. Comments were intended to show resolve but instead revealed impotence. It was only after learning that the n. S. A. Had also tune into her own cell phone but an indignant chancellor seemed to mean business. Germanys entire government is cowardly and submissive they dont dare stand up to the us. As it was speaking as a private citizen i would say she was too restrained especially considering she had firsthand experience of living under a dictatorship. But met those Approval Ratings were barely dented by the n. S. A. Scandal voters trusted her it seemed in part because she avoided conflict one day lee called her the perfect chancellor for citizens who dont like trouble and dont want to be bothered by politics. With. But when it came to her own Political Party mechelle proved willing to turn her back on traditional positions. For some conservative stalwarts her decisions to phase out Nuclear Power and to military conscription and support a National Minimum wage were hard to stomach. This instance was an entirely different era from that of helmut kohl or conrad i dont know. Its hard to believe it. The same party but you have to remember she didnt make those changes on a whim so she brought the c. D. U. In line with reality. By its hands and this was this her own accomplishment or just a reflection of the changing times by both sides and that side times had changed and i was setting a different agenda from that of what colin just predecessors. Over the years until americas succeeded in keeping her private life out of the public gaze she never felt the urge to play to the cameras but her sober down to earth style contributed significantly to her popularity. For the folk when people see 3 things in her that they like things that dont involve her strategy or her goals. She has a modern unpretentious demeanor. And she has 0 interest in material things thats both unusual and appealing on especially those of us in. The 2013 general election represented a landslide victory for the christian democrats although it did mean returning to a coalition with the s. P. D. 3rd term in office would see the economy continue its recovery. On other fronts however the chancellor had major crises to contend with. Early 2014 dramatic scenes in ukraine were pro european protests on my down square in the capital kiev led to the ousting of president Viktor Yushchenko fitch. Russia proceeded to annex the Crimean Peninsula in Eastern Ukraine and rebels and separatists rose up against the government with the support of moscow. Chancellor merkel issued a sharp protest against that intervention and endorsed economic sanctions against russia. Together with french president Francois Hollande she embarked on a Difficult Mission in the capital of minsk. U. S. President barack obama left it to european leaders to tackle the crisis with russia and try to establish dialogue between the warring parties. If you compare word politics to a game of chess she knows which pieces to move and when. She feels theres no point in saying thats an ugly chess piece i want nothing to do with it. She knows that wont move the chess came forward its times like that she does what needs to be done to say he. Is east over the years she has become a highly respected figure of authority on the international stage. Perhaps thats because of her political style tends to avoid issuing hasty if the news about rights and wrongs was sufficient even at the International Level she prefers to sway up all the options and reflect on them this is a big in the. Last moment. Shock when she does make a decision that its a sustainable one and theyve been in trying to get tough and tweaked. Medical help to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table the result was a ceasefire albeit a fragile one. In early 2015 the greek crisis returned to the spotlight the newly elected government rejected further austerity measures the coalition of the left wing to reach the party and right wing nationalists announced its intention to renegotiate all the deals their predecessors had made with International Creditors greece seemed on the brink of exiting the euro zone. After protracted negotiations the euro Group Finance ministers agreed to a compromise a package with strings attached. Merkel and her finance minister a vote of conscience persuaded greece to abandon its initial objections and agree to further reforms greeces potential departure from the euro the dreaded grex it at once again been averted. She had. A gun stock she argued her case very vigorously and i think that points to an essential feature of Angela Merkels approach to politics. She sticks to her guns and expects others to meet the commitments theyve made. And the biggest mistake. They are going for a gun show of the maid is in their dealings with greece because they broke with the principle of solidarity condition in greece miracle with real villain by a lot of people but she had the courage to keep going to greece and talking to people and she tried to explain the situation in greece and the end of the day greece was able to stay in the euro zone. Shortly after the prospect of a greek euro exit appeared resolved another crisis emerged in summer 2015 that overshadowed all others hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees were passing through turkey and greece heading for central and western europe and especially germany. Most were fleeing the brutal war in syria. In the face of a humanitarian disaster in the making. Took a very clear stand. I like germany is a strong country. As we deal with these issues much time has to be we have achieved so much we can do it if we encounter obstacles well overcome them. Germany was to welcome refugees with open arms and initially at least the mood in the country was a positive one. The world caught a glimpse of a new unfamiliar germany and chancellor within weeks her International Image was transformed from hardline austerity advocate to the chancellor of welcome there was even talk of her winning the nobel peace prize. Theres something i think america is going to be remembered about for a long long time around the world the reputation of germany went through the roof after that it was like especially in those states its all my god they let in a 1000000 refugees in 2015 you got to be kidding me. But that example didnt go down so well in southeastern europe where refugees werent so welcome hungry soon or wrecked a border fence while various balkan states fast tracked the new arrival straight through to austria and germany. So much for the solidarity between european nations the brief summer of exuberant welcome came to a sudden end. And meanwhile merkel found herself accused of positively invitin