Europe

Could Europes refugee crisis be the undoing of Angela

Merkel?
By Anthony Faiola February 4 at 7:00 AM

BERLINShewasTimemagazinesPersonoftheYear,acompassionateleaderwhoopenedGermanysdoortomorethana
milliondesperatemigrants.FrauNeinbecameFrauNice.TherewaseventalkofaNobelPeacePrize.
ButGermanChancellorAngelaMerkelissufferingaharshreversaloffortune,confrontingapoliticalbacklashthatisisolating
herbothathomeandacrossEurope.AsMerkelispushedintoacorneronmigrantpolicy,politicalpunditsaresoundinga
onceunthinkablealarm,warningthatherjobmaybeatriskifshedoesnotquicklychangecourse.
Idontthinkthereisanyquestionanymore,saidWernerJ.Patzelt,apoliticalanalystatTechnicalUniversityDresden.
AngelaMerkelisreallyintrouble.
ForMerkel,thebadnewsjustkeepsgettingworse.IntheaftermathofattacksinCologneonNewYearsEveinwhich
asylumseekersallegedlyassaulteddozensofGermanwomenanewpollfoundthat40percentofrespondentsnowwanther
toresign.Rebellawmakersinherrulingcoalitionareopenlycriticizingher.TheheadoftheChristianSocialUnioninBavaria
formerlyastaunchallyiseventhreateningtosuethegovernmentifitdoesnotcurbtheinflux.
AnewGermanpollsays81percentofthoseaskedthinkthegovernmentmishandledtherefugeecrisisandMerkelsapproval
ratinghasfallento46percent,thelowestsinceAugust,2011.
Knownforrulingbyopinionpoll,Merkelhasseemedtobacktrackonaspectsofheropendoorpolicyinrecentdays
insisting,forinstance,thatmostpeopleseekingrefugeinGermanyshouldgobackhomeafterpeacecomestocountriessuchas
SyriaandIraq.
HercabinetonWednesdaybackednewmeasuresaimedatdelayingrefugeesfrombringingincloserelativesfor2yearsand
declaringthreeNorthAfricancountriesassafe,makingitfarharderforasylumseekersfromthosecountriestowinrefugee
status
ButsheisstillmostlystickingtohergunsandrefusingtocloseGermanysdoors.Itispresentingachancellorwhofirstcame
topowerwhenGeorgeW.BushwasstilltheU.S.presidentwithoneofthetoughestchoicesofherdecadelongtenure:
whethertokeepholdingupthebannerofhumanitarianismortobepoliticallyexpedient.

Merkelhasbecomeaprisonerofherownpolitics,saidJrgenFalter,apoliticalscientistatMainzUniversity.Headded,I
thinkthelikelihoodisabout60percentthatherpoliciesdontworkoutandshethrowsinthetowel.
ItisanunusuallytightspotfortheIronChancellor,awomanwhorosetobethedefactoleaderofEuropebydrivinghard
bargainsonrescuesforbankruptGreece.Intheprocess,sheelevatedGermanytothezenithofitspostWorldWarIIpower.
Buttherefugeecrisishasdamagedherprofoundly,underscoringthehighpriceofcompassioninariskaverseworld.Anation
whoseWorldWarIIpastmadeitfullyawareofthedangersofxenophobia,modernGermanywasleadingbyexampleinthe
21stcentury,becomingabeaconofhopefordesperateforeignersfleeingwarandpoverty.Merkelstakedherjobonupholding
whatshelikestocallEuropeanvaluesineffect,thattheprogressivepeopleofwealthyEuropeshouldnotturntheirbacks
onthehumanrighttosanctuaryforSyrians,Iraqisandothers.
Butshehasrunintoseriousstumblingblocks.TheattacksinColognedidnothelphercause,nordidtheNovembermassacre
inParisthatoccurredaftermilitantsenteredEuropedisguisedasmigrants.Additionally,alargepercentageofthenewcomers,
itturnsout,werenotreallyescapingwaratallbutseekingtoleverageGermankindnesstobuildlivesawayfromplaces
suchasNorthAfrica,theBalkansandPakistan.
Shealsoerredbyeffectivelypromisinghercountrymensomethingthatshehasthusfarbeenunabletodeliver:Apledgethat
othernationsinEuropewouldtakeinmoremigrantsandstarttoshareGermanysburden.
Insteadofpitchingin,countriesacrossEuropearebarringtheirdoors.AvoluntaryEuropeanprogramtolegallyresettle
refugeeshasfailed,withnationsmostlyrefusingtoacceptnewcomersfromtheMiddleEastandelsewhere.
Infact,bothpubliclyandprivately,Europeanpoliticianslongopposedtowelcomingrefugeesarerevelingintheschadenfreude
ofMerkelscomeuppance.Lastweek,CzechPrimeMinisterBohuslavSobotkaannouncedthatablocofantirefugeenations
alsoincludingHungary,PolandandSlovakiawouldholdtheirownmeetingaheadofakeyE.U.summitinFebruaryto
discussalternativesolutionstothecrisis.SuggestingBerlinhasgonetoosoft,SlovakPrimeMinisterRobertFicoscoffedthat
migrantshavebecomeaprotectedspeciesinGermany.
Meanwhile,theEUfinallyapprovedakey$3billiondealonWednesdayinwhichTurkeywouldcrackdownonthehuman
traffickersferryingthousandsofmigrantstoEuropeviaGreeceeveryweek.ButTurkishdemandsformoremoneyraises
questionsabouthowquicklychangemayhappenontheground.
Additalltogether,andMerkelisinaprecariousspot.Ifshestickstoherprinciples,itmeansGermanystandsvirtuallyalonein
Europeasahavenformigrants.ThatisaburdenthattheGermansinitiallywelcomingtothewavesofrefugeesare
increasinglyreluctanttoshoulder.
YetMerkelalsocantakestockinafewthingsgoinginherfavor.WolfgangSchuble,herfamouslystrictfinanceminister,has

beenfloatedbysomeasapossiblesuccessor.ButinsiderssayhemaybereluctanttostealthejobfromMerkelandisnot
obviouslyanglingforthepost.Andgivenherstillformidableinfluence,anymovebyhercriticsforanoconfidencevotein
Parliamentremainsanuphillbattlefornow.
However,ifherChristianDemocratsscorearesoundingdefeatintheMarchlocalelections,thepressureonMerkeltochange
courseorstepasidecouldgrowtoaclamor.ButthequestionthenwouldbewhetherMerkeliswillingtogoasfarasclosing
Germanborderssomethingthatcouldputanailinthecoffinoftheopenborderpoliciesoncehailedasthesinglelargest
accomplishmentoftheEuropeanUnion.
Sheisextremelyworriedaboutthestateofthepublicmood,butshealsoseesabiggerpicture,saidStefanKornelius,foreign
editoroftheSddeutscheZeitung.ItfeelslikesheisfightingfortheEuropeansoul.
StephanieKirchnerinBerlinandKarlaAdaminLondoncontributedtothisreport.
Readmore
FearandparanoialeadFinnstoformvigilantegroupsthatprotectwomenfromasylumseekers
Germanchancellorpledgescrackdownoncriminalasylumseekers
Europeancountriesagreetostrictnewstepstosecureborders
Today'scoveragefromPostcorrespondentsaroundtheworld

Anthony Faiola is The Post's Berlin bureau chief. Faiola joined the Post in 1994, since then
reporting for the paper from six continents and serving as bureau chief in Tokyo, Buenos
Aires, New York and London.