Isolée en Allemagne et à l’étranger, Merkel perd sa cote de popularité Triple-A

Infographie : François Descheemaekere

Isolated at Home and Abroad Merkel Loses Her Triple-A Popularity Rating

[Spiegel Online]

The situation has seldom been this serious for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The leader is increasingly isolated in Europe because of her rigid austerity policies, while at home, criticism is growing of her decision to fire her environment minister last week. Her new toughness could backfire by making her look unsympathetic to voters, say analysts.

Usually, Angela Merkel enjoys her presence on the international stage. It has always provided her with an opportunity to shine, and it is where she developed a reputation as "Miss World" and "Miss Europe." Right now, though, things aren't going so well for the chancellor, as she travels this week from one international summit to the next. At the NATO summit in Chicago, a dispute developed over the Afghanistan withdrawal, while at the G-8 summit at Camp David, France's new President François Hollande flexed his muscles. He said he would do the same at a planned dinner in Brussels this Wednesday with the leaders of the European Union member states.
The Socialist leader is searching for allies to break Merkel's austerity-led approach in the euro crisis and to back euro bonds, which are deeply unpopular in Berlin. His efforts haven't been fruitless either -- and Germany could soon face further isolation.
Lire : spiegel.de