Merkel has a record of defending the ideals that define the free world, as she did in the terse congratulatory statement offered to Trump upon his victory in November. “Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views,” she said, adding: “I offer the next president of the United States close cooperation on the basis of these values.”

Unlike many Western politicians, Merkel – who grew up in communist East Germany – has no illusions about the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin, a man she has dealt with for a dozen years and whose dangerous actions in Ukraine resemble, she memorably said, the “law of the jungle.” When it comes to any number of global issues, including the migration crisis and Russia’s attempt to upend the European security order, Merkel can be trusted to base her decisions on liberal precepts.

Merkel’s chief rival, an amiable Social Democrat named Martin Schultz, was previously leader of the European Parliament, a forum that hardly prepares one to enter the rough-and-tumble world of great power statecraft. He is campaigning on a platform centered around social justice and other domestic issues, precisely the sort of campaign Germans want to have—but not the campaign they need to have.
Merkel, for her part, must acknowledge that the German federal elections carry global import, without scaring off voters. Anything that stresses a more assertive role in foreign affairs will likely lead to charges that Merkel wants to throw Germany’s weight around, and we all know what happened the last time Berlin did that.