When I think of Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, one memory sticks in my mind. We were in a small but public venue. She was, as she is now, fighting for re-election at the height of what’s often been portrayed as a devastating migration crisis. During the question-and-answer period, she said that Germany had created 3 million jobs in the last 12 months, and that 1 million of them had gone to people who had migrated to Germany.
Her statement struck me. I couldn’t imagine many global leaders saying that in such a public way — or with such pride, believing that this was a real achievement. Merkel demonstrated tremendous humanity and courage. With Germany’s migration issues, she knew it wouldn’t be popular with everybody, yet she was willing to state it. I thought that showed amazing integrity.
