She completely walked out of the scene on her own terms

Germany bids farewell to Chancellor Angela Merkel

• Merkel had a tense relationship with Trump.

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After nearly 16 years of being in power, German Chancellor Angela Merkel left the German political scene at the peak of her brilliance, success and achievements, as she oversaw the strengthening of the European Union in an unprecedented way, and also worked to open her country's borders to about a million immigrants, mostly from the Middle East. .

But her most impressive achievement is that she left power with a popularity that no German politician has ever seen.

And the only reason why she left power and politics is that she just doesn't want to run for herself.

It thus enjoyed a rare privilege that no politician had before, which was that it was completely out of the scene on its own terms.

It is therefore quite understandable that Merkel's successor may face significant challenges, the least of which is that everyone will compare him to her.

It was Olaf Schultz who won her succession as Merkel's deputy, and he is moderate in temperament and vision, even though he is from the opposition Social Democratic Party.

But despite all the praise and popularity that Merkel has received, Matthias Matthes, professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University, says that there is an exaggeration when talking about Merkel, describing her as a saint, and provides an important correction to that, saying, “Yes, there was a dark side in Merkel’s leadership.” Europe, both in the tactics on which it relied for its decision-making, and in the general principles on which it has guided its policy-making.”

Merkel's international policy has not been driven by the altruism, as he has sometimes portrayed it, and Mattis argues that it has been driven by shrewd calculus of German economic interests, even when those interests come at the expense of other values, such as democracy and human rights.

Its relationship witnessed a remarkable understanding with French President Emmanuel Macron, while it remained tense with US President Donald Trump, who did not care about the importance of the relationship with Germany and the European Union as a whole.

The only reason why Merkel is leaving power and politics is that she doesn't just want to run for herself.

It thus enjoyed a rare privilege that no politician had before, which was that it was completely out of the scene on its own terms.

• Merkel's most impressive achievement is that she left power with a popularity that no German politician has ever seen.

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