The other reply you already got pretty much sums up how I feel about Merkel, not a fan exactly. But I’d like to add one specific thing she has my respect for.

During the refugee crisis of 2015 there was a point where her side of the political aisle was approaching hysteria. There were hundreds of thousands of people streaming into the EU from all over the middle east and north Africa, crowds at every major train station and border crossing, normal refugee infrastructure way beyond the point of collapse. So conservatives were starting to seriously argue for the suspension of asylum rights, closing borders, etc. And Merkel was usually one to wait stuff like this out, see what possible consensus forms and then adopt it as if it was her idea all along. But not this time. She saw it starting to gain traction, just came out publicly and said “We will manage this”, and that was that for her. Discussion died immediately.

I may not respect much of what she did before or after, but taking that stance at that moment as clearly as she did, that I respect her for.

Let’s just say it’s complicated.

She’s a conservative and domestically that meant a focus on the status quo, infrastructure was neglected (digital and otherwise), a lot of privatization, stagnating social programs, stagnating wages and more.

Her foreign policy and her statesmanship on the other hand was widely respected.