On orgies of debate – Anna Sauerbrey in NYT:

‘Her famous phrase during the migration crisis — “We can do this” — was to some a welcome dose of optimism. But to others, not least in her own party, it was a decree, a royal diktat from above silencing opposition and curtailing debate. Perhaps that tendency hardened over time. Ahead one of the endless meetings with Germany’s 16 governors during the pandemic’s first wave in 2020, she reportedly complained about the “orgies of debates on reopening the country.” It was an unusual outburst, one that underscored a growing unease about her methods and her achievements. After all, the pandemic exposed Germany’s lack of digital services, the need to modernize its public health service and the vulnerability of the economy’s supply chains. The floods in July, in which over 200 people lost their lives, were a tragic reminder that Germany will not be spared the perils of climate change. Against this backdrop, the prospect of change — no matter how familiar the candidates — has become more appealing.
Just a couple of years ago, Ms. Merkel was garlanded as the “leader of the free world.” Against the chaos and disruption of Mr. Trump, her sober, judicious style was widely envied. Now, in a twist of history, different qualities are wanted. I’m pretty sure there will be many moments in the not-too-distant future when Germans will painfully miss Angela Merkel. And yet: It is time. Tschüss Mutti.’

Read the article here.

On the one hand Sauerbrey longs for a more proactive German chancellor, on the other hand she reprimands Merkel for complaining about orgies of debate.
Well, democracy is an orgy of debate, although debate might not be the best word in most democracies, and I’m skeptical that the new German chancellor will be turn out to be more of a visionary than Merkel. But of course, circumstances might force him to move in unexpected directions.

And Merkel has been maybe too soft with Putin, but what is the alternative? A new cold war? I’m doubtful whether that would have changed Putin’s attitudes much.