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Immigration, the challenge that she faced there, was enormous. She became the moral center of the entire world at that time.
Marton: In fact, they really liked each other and have stayed in touch, but it was a signal to all the other members of the western alliance that there was – because when he delivered the surprise massage, she looked back. She saw who it was and saw that it was the American president, so she broke out in kind of a mischievous smile which gave a signal to the others that these two are bonding. And indeed, they did bond.
Her favorite trip, which I describe in some detail because it was fun to write about, was when she and her husband – who didn’t normally accompany her on trips; an interesting marriage, by the way – went to Crawford, Texas, where George and Laura treated the Merkels like down home folks. The BBQ and the jogging around the Crawford estate was very informal. And she considered the visit to be one of her most memorable state visits even though it really wasn’t a state visit.
Craig: Now in the policy world, there are probably three or four each of which would take an hour to talk about. One has to do with German energy policy; her decision to abolish nuclear power in Germany after Fukashima. This was in retrospect perhaps premature. Two, her support for Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, which made Germany reliant on energy from Russia. But I would like to focus more on the immigration story and on Ukraine before we have to call it quits.
Marton: Just think about it: Germany, one generation after the Holocaust, as the moral center of the world. This, too, is Merkel’s legacy and she did this by al- lowing one million Muslim refugees to not only enter Germany but to put down roots as potential German citizens. And this was almost entirely a result of Merkel’s deep Christian foundation. When she saw that all her fellow Europeans were busy unspooling barbed wire and building walls to keep out what British Prime Minister David Cameron called “the Swarm,” she chose the opposite route. And it was cha- otic at first because this group was not a million Ukrainians from a neighboring country. They came from Islamic cultures, unprepared for Germany. She made very definite conditions on their sanctuary.
Craig: They had to learn German.
Marton: Yes, had to learn German.
Craig: They had to go to school if they were of school age. They had to get a job
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