- Merkel’s world
Angela Merkel’s return for a fourth consecutive term as Chancellor, with a much-reduced mandate for her Christian Democratic Union, marks a watershed moment in Germany’s post-War history. For the first time since 1949, a far-right nationalist party, the Alternative for Germany (Afd), is in the Bundestag, posing a potentially bracing challenge to Berlin’s predominant political creed of consensus and compromise. With her natural instinct for caution and pragmatism, Ms. Merkel embodied such a stance, one that was seen as a national trait assiduously cultivated to definitively turn the page on the country’s Nazi past. There is ample evidence of these qualities at work in Ms. Merkel’s remarkably long tenure, which led her to embrace Social Democratic Party policies on minimum wages, at times to the chagrin of her ally in the grand coalition. To be sure, this seemingly anodyne approach came under sharp attack for its ideological ambiguity, but it was a tactic that Ms. Merkel deftly deployed to blunt the opposition. It is, however, nearly impossible to accuse the Chancellor of pandering to the extreme right, so characteristic of the centre-right leadership in several European states in the face of the populist surge against the expansion of the EU and globalisation. The 8-plus percentage point plunge in support for the incumbent CDU and its Bavarian ally over 2013, combined with the all-time low returns for the Social Democratic Party, is a measure of the erosion of the middle ground. This shift in fortunes is all the more telling given the widespread perception that Germans have never had it so good in terms of economic well-being and political stability. A possible explanation of the nature of the verdict is also that the grand coalition between the archrivals, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, pushed voters in search of an alternative at the extreme. A mocking reference of the blurred ideological divisions within the alliance was that there were two SDPs in Germany. Nonetheless, the fact that there has been a steady decline in support for the two major mainstream forces — from about 90% in the 1970s to about 50% — reflects the steady fragmentation of the polity. Conversely, the gains for the AfD follow its capture of the vote in more than 10 states in regional elections. The implication of the verdict is a possible ‘Jamaica coalition’ among the CDU, the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats, given the Social Democrats’ likely choice to serve as an opposition. There has been speculation that Ms. Merkel, who has defied the recent record of Europe’s politicians even in terms of sheer longevity in office, would look to consolidating her legacy. Revitalising the rules-based post-War liberal world order, one that she committed to as a counter to President Donald Trump’s ‘America first’ agenda, could not be more urgent. Even a year ago, she may have little imagined that her victory would come as such a
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Watershed
Meaning: An event or period marking a turning point in a situation.
Example: “these works were a watershed in the history of music”
2) Predominant
Meaning: Present as the strongest or main element; having or exerting control or power.
Example: “the predominant political forces”
Synonyms: Main, Dominant
Antonyms: Subsidiary, Minor
3) Consensus
Meaning: A general agreement.
Example: “there is a growing consensus that the current regime has failed”
Synonyms: Agreement, Concord
Antonyms: Disagreement
4) Pragmatism
Meaning: A pragmatic attitude or policy.
Example: “ideology had been tempered with pragmatism”
5) Embodied
Meaning: Be an expression of or give a tangible or visible form to (an idea, quality, or feeling); include or contain (something) as a constituent part.
Example: “a national team that embodies competitive spirit and skill”
Synonyms: Manifest, Represent
6) Assiduously
Meaning: With great care and perseverance.
Example: “leaders worked assiduously to hammer out an action plan”
7) Coalition
Meaning: A temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Example: “a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
Synonyms: Alliance, Union
8) Pandering
Meaning: Gratify or indulge (an immoral or distasteful desire or taste or a person with such a desire or taste).
Example: “newspapers are pandering to people’s baser instincts”
Synonyms: Indulge, Satisfy
9) Incumbent
Meaning: (of an official or regime) currently holding office.
Example: “the incumbent President was defeated”
Synonyms: Current, Existing
Antonyms: Past, Future
10) Perception
Meaning: Awareness of something through the senses.
Example: “the perception of pain”
Synonyms: Discernment, Appreciation
11) Archrivals
Meaning: The chief rival of a person, team, or organization.
12) Blurred
Meaning: Unable to see or be seen clearly; Make or become unclear or less distinct.
Example: “the blurred distinctions between childhood and adulthood”
Synonyms: Unfocused, Not clear
Antonyms: Clear
13) Speculation
Meaning: The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.
Example: “there has been widespread speculation that he plans to quit”
Synonyms: Supposition, Conjecture
14) Longevity
Meaning: Long existence or service.
Example: “her longevity in office now appeared as a handicap to the party”
