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Craig: Tell us how she got into politics. Because she was in Helmet Kohl’s cabinet very early on as a young junior minister. How did that happen?
Marton: Merkel was deceptively low-key. She shielded her ambition. But in fact she was burning with ambition and eager to have a big career, a big life, an adven- ture. She was innately cautious, and she used her drab exterior to her advantage.
She was never much of a fashionista, although after she became Chancellor, she did ultimately figure out that she needed to look a certain way to make it.
As if by design, she was underestimated every step of the way – most importantly by the Titanic-figure of German politics, Helmut Kohl. Because of him, she rose to the top. Kohl engaged her – the youngest member of the cabinet – to be Minister for Women and Youth. My husband, Richard Holbrooke, was US Ambassador to Germany at the time, and he teased her, “Angela, you’re not interested in either of [those topics].” And of course, she wasn’t; but she was biding her time.
Her next portfolio was Minister of the Environment, and there she really flour- ished because she was an early environmentalist. From day one, she thought cli- mate change was deeply concerning.
Craig: During her sixteen years as Chancellor she worked with many heads of state – including at least three U.S. presidents. And over many years – during much of
her time in office – she also had to deal with Vladimir Putin.
Marton: That was a long and dysfunctional marriage with no possibility of di- vorce, given Russia and Germany’s geographic and political and economic prox- imity. It was Bismarck who said that the key to success in German politics is make peace with Russia. That is kind of what Merkel did.
At their first meeting, he had done his homework and knew that she was terrified of dogs. During their meeting, Putin unleashed his giant black Lab, which went right at her. She just froze. She did not react. That was her way of dealing with bullies.
She had a similar experience with Trump, who tried to shake her, to bully her, to break her iron composure. After an intense negotiation at some G8 meeting, Trump fished an old piece of candy out from his pocket and tossed it on the table in front of her and said, “Angela, don’t say I never gave you anything.”
Everybody around the table was stunned. Trudeau was visibly shocked. All these heads of state were appalled at such uncouth behavior. Merkel pretended she hadn’t noticed. That was her way of diffusing whatever need for attention and power that bullies had. And it wasn’t just Putin and Trump. She had many bullies to deal with while she was Chancellor. She had her moments with Bolsonaro and Orban.
Craig: I was going to ask you about George W. Bush. There’s that famous video clip of George W. Bush coming up behind her and massaging her shoulders in the middle of a conference with various heads of state. She was caught off guard and was clearly surprised. But recovered. This of course raised questions about what her relationship was with Bush.
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For sixteen years, she was in an intense relationship with this man Putin, and unlike any other western leader, she understood his capacity for cruelty and deception. She was familiar with his KGB training, and she knew that he was, first of all, a KGB agent.