Daniel Trilling: How the refugee crisis in Europe created two myths of Angela Merkel

The right says the German chancellor undermined EU security; Liberals say it was a triumph. But her legacy is far more mixed, writes Daniel Trilling

People welcome refugees in Dortmund, Germany in 2015, where thousands of migrants and refugees arrived by trains after Angela Merkel shifted the tone of debate at a crucial moment. AP Photo

When Angela Merkel steps down as chancellor after Germany’s elections later this month, the tributes will centre on her role as the figurehead of western liberalism; an island of stability, caution and openness in an era marked by turbulence and far-right reaction. 

She will be remembered “for serious work, stable leadership and having a gift for political compromise”, wrote Ishaan Tharoor in the Washington Post last week. When she faced off against Donald Trump after his inauguration in 2017, some newspapers dubbed her the new “leader of the free world”.