Angela Merkel’s continued position as chancellor now appears untenable as a result of two significant policy failures. 

1. Europe’s migration crisis in which Merkel played a pivotal role by admitting over one million refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, in 2015, during her controversial open border migration policy, has caused a surge in support for Right-wing political parties throughout Europe. Although she has now belatedly admitted that Germany had insufficient border controls.

Her policy has caused outrage among many Europeans who fear an unacceptable reduction in job prospects and social services including education, medical and housing. Plus the real fear of an increase in urban crime in major city conurbations. This is a crisis that reflects the concern of Germany’s electorate over the impact of Merkel’s disastrous asylum strategy.

2. The second grave policy error was the unilateral decision to alter the balance of global power by supplying Israel with a fleet of German-built, Dolphin class submarines that she knew would be immediately retrofitted by the Netanyahu government with nuclear cruise missiles giving the Israeli state a second strike capability which Germany itself does not possess, thereby potentially endangering European/ NATO security.

For these reasons alone, Merkel is now past her ‘sell-by date’.  Germany needs a new chancellor with policies that will co-ordinate an acceptable EU solution for the movement of goods and people but one that would also preserve national identities and state security.   The EU is about to undergo significant change, and not only due to Brexit.

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Hans Stehling (pen name) is an analyst based in the UK. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research.