German chancellor Angela Merkel has won an award that she truly deserves. Time magazine yesterday named her as its Person of the Year in recognition of her contributions and resolve in leading Europe through a difficult period – through this summer’s Greek debt crisis and a migration crisis that she handled with courage and mercy, setting an example to the world. It’s a special honour for the German leader because she is only the fourth woman to ever be named Person of the Year, after Time opened up the contest to women in 1936. Last year, healthcare workers treating the Ebola epidemic were honoured. In 2013, it was Pope Francis. The person of the year accolade acknowledges what the magazine considers to be the world’s biggest newsmaker, or influential mover.
Time said: “Merkel had already emerged as the indispensable player in managing Europe’s serial debt crises; she also led the West’s response to Vladimir Putin’s creeping theft of Ukraine. But now the prospect of Greek bankruptcy threatened the very existence of the eurozone. The migrant and refugee crisis challenged the principle of open borders. And finally, the carnage in Paris revived the reflex to slam doors, build walls and trust no one.”
Merkel’s decision to give asylum to thousands of Syrian migrants had surprised the world, and her own countrymen. It was a decision that requires courage and political will and is a noble action that would define her legacy. Germany announced on Monday that it has welcomed more than 960,000 asylum seekers in 2015, putting it on track for a million arrivals this year, as conflicts rage in Syria, the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Merkel was born in Hamburg in 1954, moved to eastern Germany as a small child, grew up behind a Soviet stockade and trained as a quantum chemist. After entering politics in her 30s, she rose through the ranks, and was elected chancellor in 2005. This is her 10th year in office.
The Time prize is a recognition for the German leader and will bolster her efforts to welcome more refugees into the country. It will also enhance her stature among her opponents at home, especially those who have been virulently critical of her asylum policy. It will also help announce to the world her noble initiatives.
She has been praised by refugees as ‘Mama Merkel’ and derided by others as the eurozone’s ‘austerity priestess’. Her stance on Greek debt had made her immensely unpopular in Greece, and Greeks may not have forgiven her for stubborn stance. But even they will happily welcome her stance on the migration crisis.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has won an award that she truly deserves. Time magazine yesterday named her as its Person of the Year in recognition of her contributions and resolve in leading Europe through a difficult period – through this summer’s Greek debt crisis and a migration crisis that she handled with courage and mercy, setting an example to the world. It’s a special honour for the German leader because she is only the fourth woman to ever be named Person of the Year, after Time opened up the contest to women in 1936. Last year, healthcare workers treating the Ebola epidemic were honoured. In 2013, it was Pope Francis. The person of the year accolade acknowledges what the magazine considers to be the world’s biggest newsmaker, or influential mover.
Time said: “Merkel had already emerged as the indispensable player in managing Europe’s serial debt crises; she also led the West’s response to Vladimir Putin’s creeping theft of Ukraine. But now the prospect of Greek bankruptcy threatened the very existence of the eurozone. The migrant and refugee crisis challenged the principle of open borders. And finally, the carnage in Paris revived the reflex to slam doors, build walls and trust no one.”
Merkel’s decision to give asylum to thousands of Syrian migrants had surprised the world, and her own countrymen. It was a decision that requires courage and political will and is a noble action that would define her legacy. Germany announced on Monday that it has welcomed more than 960,000 asylum seekers in 2015, putting it on track for a million arrivals this year, as conflicts rage in Syria, the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Merkel was born in Hamburg in 1954, moved to eastern Germany as a small child, grew up behind a Soviet stockade and trained as a quantum chemist. After entering politics in her 30s, she rose through the ranks, and was elected chancellor in 2005. This is her 10th year in office.
The Time prize is a recognition for the German leader and will bolster her efforts to welcome more refugees into the country. It will also enhance her stature among her opponents at home, especially those who have been virulently critical of her asylum policy. It will also help announce to the world her noble initiatives.
She has been praised by refugees as ‘Mama Merkel’ and derided by others as the eurozone’s ‘austerity priestess’. Her stance on Greek debt had made her immensely unpopular in Greece, and Greeks may not have forgiven her for stubborn stance. But even they will happily welcome her stance on the migration crisis.
