With the Eurozone engulfed in an unprecedented crisis, one political figure looms largest of all, Angela Merkel, the leader of its most powerful economy. While foreign affairs have become the central issues of her chancellorship in this crucial election year, the entire world is anxiously looking to Germany to play its part in Europe's rescue. This authorized biography sheds light on the person behind the politician - from her youthful days of hitchhiking in Tbilisi to being the guest of honour at a White House state dinner - and examines how a girl from East Germany rose to the highest echelons of European power. As well as explaining how Angela Merkel's world view was shaped and influenced by her background and ideology, Stefan Kornelius's lively account discusses her personal relations with international counterparts such as David Cameron, Barack Obama or Vladimir Putin, as well as her attitude towards the countries and cultures over which they rule.

Author Biography

Stefan Kornelius was born in 1966 and is head of the foreign policy department of Suddeutsche Zeitung. He met Merkel for the first time in 1989 in East Berlin when she was the Speaker of the Democratic Awakening. Later Kornelius was a correspondent in Bonn where he was responsible for the CDU party, and where Merkel was a minister in Kohl's Cabinet and served as an important source for Kornelius. After years working as a foreign correspondent in Washington, Kornelius returned to Berlin 1999 - just in time for the CDU funding scandal and Merkel's rise to the head of CDU party. Since 2000 Kornelius has been responsible for foreign policy reporting and is in close contact with the Chancellor and her main advisers.