When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Germany

Angela Merkel Shares the Unspoken Truth About COVID-19

Angela Merkel during her speech in the German Bundestag
Angela Merkel during her speech in the German Bundestag
Carl-Johan Karlsson

It is a speech that stands out from all those we've heard from world leaders in the 10 months since the pandemic began — a far cry from the fact-defying rhetoric of Jair Bolsonaro or the cool logic of Emmanuel Macron.


As Germany reported a record 590 deaths in one day from Covid-19, Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to parliament for tougher restrictions to stem the spread. But rather than read a series of proposed new regulations or explain scientific recommendations, Merkel's plea was that of a political leader openly struggling before her citizens in the face of defeat: "If we have too many contacts before Christmas and it ends up being the last Christmas with the grandparents, then we'd really have failed. We should not do that."

And indeed, for someone whose 15-year leadership has been defined by a sober approach to the toughest of challenges, it was an unusual moment as the chancellor spoke directly to shopkeepers who would suffer from new lockdowns. "I really am sorry, from the bottom of my heart. But if the price we pay is 590 deaths a day, then this is unacceptable," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "What will we say when we look back on this once-in-a-century event — if we weren't able to find a solution?"

In my native Sweden (the champion of voluntary coronavirus measures) people's reluctance to heed government advice is partly due to weak political rhetoric. Like in the German federation, Sweden's 21 regions manage their own crisis response, which Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has conveniently used to dodge responsibility.


Merkel's speech was remarkable for the way she indeed stood up and said what she thought, but also for the inherent acknowledgment of the limits of our powers to make the right decisions. "I don't know," admitted Merkel, one of the few world leaders who is a trained scientist. "This is not my area of expertise. I don't want to interfere."


For nearly a year, politicians have tried to supply answers to a public that is increasingly losing both trust and patience. Merkel finally shared out loud a truth about the pandemic that most of us have known inside for a while: There is no good answer.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Israel

Bibi Blinked: Can Netanyahu Survive After Backing Down On Judicial Putsch?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu has backed down in the 11th hour on his plans to push forward on a major judicial reform bill that had sparked massive protests.

Bibi Blinked: Can Netanyahu Survive After Backing Down On Judicial Putsch?
Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

Benjamin Netanyahu played the sorcerer's apprentice and lost. By announcing Monday night the suspension of his judicial reform, which has deeply divided Israeli society and brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the nation's streets, he signed his defeat.

One thing we know about the Israeli prime minister is that he has not said his last word: the reform is only suspended, not withdrawn. He promised a "real dialogue" after the Passover holiday.

Netanyahu is not one to back down easily: he had clearly gone too far, first by allying himself with extreme right-wing forces from the fringes of the political spectrum; but above all by wanting to change the balance on which the Jewish State had lived since its foundation in 1948. His plans threatened to change the nature of the state in a patently "illiberal" direction.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest