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The Compass: Can Germany Save the World?: Can Germany Save the World?: Mutti and her crisis management

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Can Germany Save The World?

11/11/2020 GMT

Can Germany Save the World?: Mutti and her crisis management

Can Germany Save the World?

BBC World Service - The Compass, Can Germany Save the World?, Can Germany Save the World?: Mutti and her crisis management

Can Angela Merkel teach the world a lesson about managing crises?

John Kampfner examines how Angela Merkel has handled the crises that Germany has faced in recent years. Is she an example for the world to follow?

A year ago, many Germans were dismissing Angela Merkel as beyond her sell-by date. Her motto, "langsam aber sicher" (slow but sure), was seen as outdated. Covid has transformed that. It is not that she has particularly changed, it is just that the world has come to respect traits that had previously been derided. Germany has now dealt with three crises with extraordinary agility – from unification 30 years ago, to the influx of a million refugees in 2015 and now the pandemic.

John Kampfner looks at these crises and how Germany and Merkel have responded to them. Through the experiences of people across the country, he finds that there is much that can be learned from the way Germany faces its challenges. Is Angela Merkel’s true strength as Germany’s Chancellor her ability to handle a crisis?

The Compass: Can Germany Save the World?

Does Germany have the answer to some of the West’s biggest problems?

John Kampfner examines at the many strengths and weaknesses of contemporary Germany. Does it have the answer to some of the West's biggest problems?

In this three-part series, the author John Kampfner travels across the country, looking at the many strengths, and weaknesses of contemporary Germany. His quest: to see if Germany has the answer to some of the West’s biggest problems: coronavirus, threats from China, Russia and beyond and the challenges of protecting liberal democracy. 
 
Germany has so far proven adept in its handling of the pandemic, and in dealing with crises more generally. How much of this is down to the leadership of Angela Merkel, or “Mutti”, as she is often known? This series looks at what it is to be German, and how its social and economic structures work. With all the turbulence around the globe, is Germany finally ready to step up and take a leadership role? From health chiefs to hipsters, car company bosses to refugees, anti-Communist pastors to entrepreneurs, Kampfner paints a vivid picture of a country that may be at the top of its game - but is fearful of what comes next.

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Can Germany Save the World?

Can Germany Save the World?: Mutti and her crisis management

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