Against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s conservative nationalistic policies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being described by the media as the new leader of the free world. Her open-minded and humanitarian views and policies on the immigration of Middle East refugees to Germany despite numerous terror attacks by Islamist terrorists in her country have gained respect in many liberal capitals in the world.
The international system appears to be split nowadays between nationalistic regimes and governments that cling to multiculturalism. The former makes opposition to Islamic immigration their political flag and an excuse for curtailing freedom of movement, free trade and globalization; the latter champions globalization and human rights. And so, Merkel has become an important player within the world’s most important schism.
