Merkel remains Europe’s skipper

This editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune: Germany’s national election Sunday has all the makings of a fait accompli. Chancellor Angela Merkel is on track to gain her fourth term, which would give her 16 years as Germany’s leader.

More than any other leader, the woman Germans affectionately call “Mutti,” or mother, runs the show in Europe. Germany is the European Union’s heftiest, most vibrant economy, and with Britain Brexiting out of the EU, Merkel’s pragmatic leadership has become the dominant voice on the European stage.

But the rules of the game have changed since Donald Trump has been president. Europe can no longer count on the White House the way it used to. Merkel publicly acknowledged as much last spring when she told Europeans to “take our fate into our own hands … The times in which we could rely fully on others — they are somewhat over.”

It doesn’t help that Europe is more fractured and tenuous than it has been in decades. Britain’s departure from the EU takes away the bloc’s second-largest economy and leaves it with just one nuclear power, France. To the east, nationalist-minded populist leaders in Poland and Hungary hold power. And the continent is still balancing the accommodation of Middle Eastern and North African refugees with the need to winnow out potential terrorists.

Another challenge for Merkel: Turkey has emerged as a major dilemma for Europe as a whole, and Germany in particular. The West recoiled at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s response to last year’s failed coup. Erdogan oversaw a crackdown that jailed 50,000 people and suspended 150,000 from their jobs.

Domestically, Merkel likely will have to cope with the emergence of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party, which is expected to garner enough votes in Sunday’s elections to gain several seats in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament.

North Americans will be watching keenly how Merkel navigates these shoals. A unified Europe is better fit to tackle terrorism, trade, financial crises, energy policy, immigration and, yes, Russia.

We know who wants a weak, fragmented Europe — the shirtless ex-KGB agent to the east.