Repeatedly named “The World’s Most Powerful Woman” by Forbes magazine, Merkel also has been suggested by some as the last powerful defender of liberal values in the West following Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president.
While she’s never been described as a visionary or earned much praise for stirring speeches, Merkel has won respect for being tough, shrewd and doggedly tackling problems.
Since becoming chancellor, she’s dealt with several international crises, including the Eurozone debt crisis in 2008-09 for which she brokered compromises among fractious European Union leaders.
Unresolved diplomatic challenges include Europe’s relationship with Russia, the future of Ukraine, autocratic …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
