The end of the Merkel era
After a decade and a half in office, Germany\u2019s Angela Merkel is stepping down. On today\u2019s show, we take a closer look at the chancellor\u2019s life and legacy, and what this shift in power will mean for Germany and the world.
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Angela Merkel grew up the daughter of a pastor in communist East Germany, and political possibilities opened up for her after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As chancellor she carried Germany and by extension the European Union through crisis after crisis with a steady hand. But her legacy is somewhat more complicated at home than it is abroad, as Loveday Morris and Ishaan Tharoor report.
\u201cSome applaud her humble, consensus-driven political style,\u201d Morris writes. \u201cOthers see a lack of bold leadership, particularly in the face of a more aggressive Russia and rising Chinese power.\u201d
As Merkel leaves office, we talk about the vacuum of power she leaves behind and what might happen next.