MERKEL: The Amazing Political Journey Of The World's Most Powerful Woman
In office, Merkel has gone from being viewed as too pro-market for German voters to the ultimate pragmatist and deal-maker. The piece charts her journey to become the most dominant political leader in modern Europe, along with her childhood in East Germany.
In 1999, when Merkel was still new to front-line politics, she knifed long-time German chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had helped to bring her into the public eye:
Unlike millions of others that tried to get under the Iron Curtain and head west, Merkel's father moved the family to the east. As a result, she's a fluent Russian speaker, giving her a unique position in relations with Vladimir Putin
During talks with Putin in 2007, the Russian President brought his dog into the room. Merkel is reportedly afraid of dogs, with some suggestions that the situation was deliberately arranged to try and intimidate her. Here's her amazing response, according to the New Yorker:
Merkel is also likened to Obama in the profile: both are seen as low on ideology, high on calculated problem-solving, even if their administrations have clashed over economic policy:
Despite a sensible but slightly joyless public image, Merkel is apparently dry and witty in private. Like the UK's late Queen Mother, she's a big fan of impressions:
The profile is full of amazing little nuggets like this: Merkel is also apparently concerned about innovation in Germany, that it hasn't produced an Amazon or a Facebook, and the tidbits about her early life are fascinating. Check it out.