The West does not have a leadership problem

If German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and almost everyone else is unpopular, perhaps it is a ‘followership’ problem.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is not alone in facing a demanding electorate, says the writer.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is not alone in facing a demanding electorate, says the writer.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Janan Ganesh

We are doing this again, are we? Very well.

A hated leader makes way for someone else. That person in turn sets new records of unpopularity. Speculation begins about still another switch at the top, as it is easier to change the individual than to question the basic doability of the job. The place under discussion here is, of course, Germany, but also Britain and America and elsewhere.

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