By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront ANGELA MERKEL’S ACHIEVEMENT in winning four consecutive federal elections in Germany was remarkable by any democratic standard. Few leaders in modern Europe have managed such longevity in office. Yet remaining in power for so long should not be confused with unqualified success or ideological clarity. Merkel’s leadership was defined less by sweeping vision than by caution, pragmatism, and an ability to endure crises without fully owning their long-term consequences. Her strength lay in survival rather than transformation, and this distinction is crucial to any serious assessment of her legacy. Internationally, Merkel was often portrayed as a moral counterweight to the rise of authoritarian leaders. In the Anglo-American press she was frequently described as a stabilising figure and, following the election of Donald Trump in 2016, was often characterised as a potential ‘leader of the free world’—a label she herself never embraced. The phrase...