ANGELA MERKEL, AN ENIGMA.

 

 

 BY K P PASWAN.

Angela Merkel also known as Dorothy Angela Merkel is one of the longest serving Chancellor of Germany. She is all set to relinquish her post after parliamentary election. It is very difficult to make proper assessment of a politician, who headed a country in a post-cold war era. She managed to keep the robust economy of Germany intact, even if it means antagonizing other nations of EU.

When Dorothy Angela Merkel became the political chief of a prosperous Germany, there was grand celebration in Poland as her family was originally from Poland, but after heavy influx of refugees from Middle East, she was abused in Poland as her defiant attitude towards refugees convulsed certain countries including Poland. Germany itself became  a hub of religious based terrorism, from which Germany cannot recover even in coming years.

Angela Merkel is the daughter of a Pastor who did not make serious attempt to flee from East Germany to West Germany. In East Germany Christianity was not allowed to flourish by the communists and Angela Merkel once remarked that Christian was the most oppressed religion in the world, but the hard truth is that during her regime Christianity was further demoralized, not only in Germany but in all the neighboring countries. In East Germany, where Angela was born and grew up, was filled with spies from Soviet Union known as KGB. A very handsome and ruthless KGB agent was posted in East Germany to keep  watch  on certain groups of people. That handsome KGB agent was  Vladimir Putin, who was known to the family of Angela Merkel. Putin’s dislike of Angela is not secret. Mystery surround Angela’s first marriage with Merkel and after divorce, Angela stuck to her husband name and is popularly known as Dorothy Angela Merkel. Her second husband is a physicist and keeps a low profile. As per East German records, she was not a devoted Christian. She used this religion to serve her own purpose

Bismarck led the foundation of an united Germany, which was once again divided after second world war, but again reunited with collapse of USSR..  Merkel predecessor Helmet Kohl was a towering political figure and his defeat at the hands of Merkel loose political equation created a flutter among the political heads of certain countries. Helmet Kohl believed in mutual cooperation, but Angela Merkel inaugurated the policy of mutual distrust. Germany is known as producing excellent scientists and brilliant philosophers. While German scientists contributed to the industrial growth, German philosophers succeeded in splitting Christianity into Catholic and protestant, German protestants known as Lutherans Christian are known for their charity works.

 Angela Merkel wanted Germany to be the supreme leader of EU and she attained her objective. Her methods to achieve her political ambition led to the emergence of rightist wings, who are not only against the Jews but also against the Muslims.

Rightists did not do well in the elections as the right-wing politicians were already active in the political parties led by Angela Merkel. German MNCs are spread over every corner of the world, but their presence in China led to outstanding economic growth of Germany. There is second part of the coin. For some reasons, Merkel took undue advantage of prevailing political and economic situation in Central Asia. Only France is in comfortable position to expand its economy in its former colonies of African countries. These Muslims majority countries provide much needed natural resources to French industries. Germany under Merkel had limited options to force its term and conditions to a few countries, which were colonies of undivided Germany, these countries are poor in natural wealth.  US was pouring dollars little knowing that these aids will cater to the sinister design of an over ambitious lady.

Both Russia and China are leading trading partners of Germany and Angela Merkel strengthened this bond by adopting dubious means. She cared little for other members of EU. She inherited an impressive legacy from Helmet Kohl, who was both a politician and statesman. He knew that without a strong EU, it was not possible for Germany to maintain its economic growth. With the collapse of USSR, NATO beginning to lose its strategic importance as Russia was not in a position to spread its political ideology known as Communism through violent means, because communism also disappeared. There were no problems of Islamic radicals as barring Turkish Muslims, Germany did not face sudden exodus of migrants from the middle east and some African countries.US was still bearing expense  to maintain the sanctity of NATO. It is not secret that 70% of defense budget of EU was borne by US without any return. Germany under Helmont Kohl was economically better than under Angela Merkel.

Advent of Angela Merker witnessed undefined political and economic activities in Germany. After coming to power, she was hell bent on making Germany most prosperous country in Europe. As most of the German MNCs were making profit abroad, they were also indulged in tax evasion. Merkel acquired sick industrial units of smaller countries like Hungry and Czechoslovakia and turned them into profitable by utilizing US money. Impressive health infrastructures were created with US money and there are reasons to believe that she was involved in currency manipulation as accused by Donald Trump.

GREECE CRISIS. Economy of Greece is mostly Tourism based and was politically and economically mismanaged by politicians in power. But nearly ten years ago Greece faced unprecedented financial crisis, when this country was facing bankruptcy. There were talks of Grexit, meaning leaving EU as no country was coming to help Greece. Credit goes to Angela Merker to uplift Greece from financial crisis, but Greece had to pay price. Germany acquired the right to maintained ports, airports and certain important public places for fifty years. A brilliant PM of Greece T Sipras had no alternative but to surrender to economic colonization of Germany as leaving EU would have further complicated the economy. Greece was already being threatened by Turkey under Recep Erdogan. Other members of EU miserably failed to help Greece as the economy of Greece was ruined by Papandreou former political boss of Greece. EU extended financial help to Greece, but it was Angela Merker who stole the show. Greece has recovered from economic stagnation. but it has become heavily indebted to Germany and EU remained a mute spectator.

 DEAL WITH TURKEY. Angela Merkel murky deal with Turkey will be remembered with interest as it is Turkey under a dictator Recep Erdogan which was benefited economically and Erdogan suddenly became a known political figure of the world. With weakening of NATO, Turkey is no longer a blue boy of the Pentagon. When Turkey failed to get entry into EU due to hard stand taken by Vatican, Austria and France, Erdogan denounced EU as the Christian Club and tried his best to reverse the secular trend laid down by Kemal Pasha.Islamisation of Turkey was half hardheartedly criticized by Merkel. But it was the genocide in Armenia committed by the Ottoman empires nearly one hundred years ago, which was virtually ignored by Merkel, when entire EU denounced the genocide of Christians in Armenia. Merkel, deliberately abstained from passing the resolution in German parliament against Turkey for the genocide committed in Armenia by the Ottoman Sultans. There is too much murky politics involved in this episode.

With Donald Trump in power in US, Merkel anticipated trouble for Germany. She needed the support of a country which was strategically important. Christianity was losing its ground in Turkey but a large number of Turkish Muslims migrated to Germany after Second World War. These Muslims were not fanatics, but Merkel proximity with Erdogan embolden these Muslims of Turkish origins, but situation was not out of control until the rise of ISIS.

 MIGRANTS FROM MIDDLE EAST. With the rise of ISIS, there was crisis in IRAQ and Syria. Both of these countries have Shia sect of Islam in majority. Led by self-styled Caliphate Abu Baghdadi, ISIS wanted nothing but supremacy of Sunnis and in order to achieve this lofty aim, ISIS indulged in merciless killing of Shias By snatching oil fields from Shiite Iraq, ISIS emerged as the richest terrorist organization. Erdogan minted money by deal with ISIS, but in the name of fighting terrorists, Erdogan allowed the ISIS to kill the Kurds, who were and still demand separate sovereign country for the Kurds in Turkey.

REFUGEES CRISIS. Even after knowing that ISIS was bent upon creating communal tension, Angela Merkel opened the gates of Germany for the Syrian. African and refugees from Iraq. Her policy was severely criticized by her own party men, but she remained steadfast. After the Munich Olympics, German spy network remained weak and it remained weak under Merkel regime. She knew that religion that is Christianity is weakening all over Europe and it was difficult to halt the downfall and refugees seeking asylum crossed the figure of 7 million. She also tried to force other members of EU to follow her policy. Switzerland paid penalty, instead of accepting refugees on a large scale. There were series of murder mayhem and bomb blast in different countries, but there was little or no impact upon the German Chancellor. There were rape and murder committed by radicals in Germany, but no serious attempts were made by her to crush the criminals. When Dalai lama, the great Buddhist saint visited Germany, he wondered whether Germany had become an Arab country? 

 In a way she allowed Christians to suffer more and more. The situation has so much worsened that Germany has only one supporter and that is Turkey. The coupe in Turkey was crushed by Erdogan, otherwise speculation was that Erdogan might seek asylum in Germany. Refugees from Central Asia and Africa prefer Germany as Merkel was generous to them. The worst victims are Poland and Hungry. A large number of Polish people are migrating to US and they vote for the Republicans. Merkel forefathers were from Poland and Angela Merkel is the most hated person in former communist state. Polish migrants in US always speak against Germans and Angela Merkel.

TALIBAN IN DOHA. Outside Afghanistan, Taliban had no safe sanctuary, but credit goes to Angela Merkel, facilitating for establishing a permanent safe house for Talibans in Doha in modern Qatar. She never expected a deal between Taliban and US. Being a member of NATO, Germany sent troops to Afghanistan to combat the, the terrorists, but German soldiers did not suffer much causality, Talibans are ever grateful to Angela Merker.

 RELATIONS WITH INDIA. Angela Merkel was not a friend of India. India under Mody did not allow Merkel to dictate her political philosophy in India.

ENDGAME. After Second World War, Germany gained much from New Deal but US never trusted Germany. Angela Merkel was eulogized by her people as she utilized American money to  raise the standard of living of German people. With disappearance of communism, Merkel anticipated increased expenditure on defense for which Germany was not prepared. German MNCs like ITT Grundig and a few others have disappeared.  German MNCs are doing extraordinary well in China and to some extent in Russia, but the weakening of NATO has resulted in dwindling popularity of Angela Merker. Refugees and increased activities of radicals, further weakened political ambition of Merkel. 

Somehow, she wanted to challenge the political and economic supremacy of US, but she did not succeed.Joe Biden is proving more smart than Donald Trump Germany remained a prosperous economy but with changing nature of international politics, it is expected that German MNCs may no be able to sustain their performance and within next twenty years Germany is going to become another nation of EU struggling for sustained economic growth. France is making rapid progress and Emmanuel Macron of France is fighting the radicals like hell. Germany is exporting luxurious vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen, Mercedes and other auto manufacturers but these four wheeler are confined to selected group of people and  have no permanent markets.

 Germany, a country of 80 million people failed to contain the brutal coronavirus despite of mRNA vaccines manufactured by Pfizer tech in Germany, Bio n tech is a German firm and there is a partnership of these two pharma giants.. Infected persons are still dying and there is no sign of slowing of the rate of infection.

 FINAL THOUGHT. Angela Merkel was neither a clever politician nor a brilliant statesman. She loved and care for Germany. She used American help to announce a series of populist measures. She dominated politics of EU, but failed to create the image of a prominent political figure in the world. It is not proper to describe the circumstances for the rise of Hitler in Germany. Her policy towards refugees has prepared the fertile ground for the growth of ultra-rightists. Her successors are unlikely to follow her policy. With her departure, smaller countries will have greater say in the administration of EU. Turkey will face isolation and above all NATO will fight the religion based terrorism overlooked by Angela Merkel.