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Continent in Identity Crisis: Leaders of Decade in Europe | Israel today

2019-12-27T13:20:05.913Z


Europe


The decade that was supposed to be the EU's golden age has been replaced by a series of crises and war on the eastern continent • Those leaders who chose Israel Today's editors as the decade's people

  • Europe's decade leaders // Photo: Reuters, IPP, IP

The decade that passed Europe was not simple. Despite the great autism around the EU's formation, a continuing economic crisis in our southern European countries, and a near-uninterrupted war in Ukraine have left the continent leaving a bitter taste of controversy.

The issue of the influx of migrants and refugees to the continent, which has surfaced following the fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya and the civil war in Syria, threatens to tear the unity that has stripped the continent of centuries of closed suspicion and borders. The editors of Israel Today chose the leaders who made the decade in Europe.

Angela Merkel

(Eden Ronen)

Angela Merkel, the first woman in German history to serve as Chancellor, is undoubtedly one of the most influential women in Europe and the world in the last decade. She was first elected chancellor in 2005 and since then her party has won three more election campaigns.

• What a decade we had! Go to the special "Summary of the Decade" page

• Disagree with our choices? Let's choose your people and decade-long events

• Think you know everything that happened in the last decade? Enter the huge decade quiz

Over the decade, Merkel has led a series of contentious moves. In 2015, at the height of the immigration crisis to Europe, Merkel called on European countries to absorb refugees according to a division of national economic resilience. She said at the time that she was glad that Germany had become a place many people associate with hope. But in Europe, which was in a deep economic crisis, was angry with its statements. Hungary's conservative leadership, for example, has built a separation fence to prevent migrants from entering it. Even within Germany, Merkel's decision to adopt more than one million immigrants was controversial.

Photo: GPO

The chancellor's austerity policy, in light of the economic crisis that has plagued Europe over the decade, has undermined the chancellor's image. Budget cuts, layoffs in the public sector and other cuts in mainland countries that show large deficits have resented Merkel.

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In addition, over the past year, rumors about Merkel's health condition began when she was documented shaking three times at various events. Her spokesmen claimed that her health was good and that she was feeling well. Merkel herself addressed the quakes and said: "I'm fine, not to worry about me. This is part of the process I'm going through." Prior to that, no health problems were known to Merkel.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel // Photo: AFP

In 2021, shortly after the end of the decade, Merkel is expected to finalize her term after announcing in 2018 she will not run again due to her party's failure to run in local elections.

One of the big questions is what legacy will Merkel leave behind. Despite the controversial issues, the woman who grew up in the eastern part of Germany instilled liberal values, led changes and became a key woman in Europe. In the days when the continent was shaking in economic and national crises, Merkel's Germany was an island of stability. She recorded many achievements and maintained her values ​​with the genius and modesty characteristic of her. Despite all this, populism seems to be coming in the back door, raising questions about what will remain of the Merkel's 16 years of rule and what the future holds for Germany.

Vladimir Putin

(David Becker)

When Vladimir Putin, a young KGB officer stationed in East German Dresden, saw Soviet helplessness in the wake of the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the Communist bloc in 1989, he promised himself - never again. This was probably the shaping event in Lennard's slender guy's life. Since then, he has reached the top of the Russian government, first as prime minister, and since 2000 (briefly) as the world's largest president.

Putin is shaping Russia in his image and image: central, powerful, based on real politics and cold interests, but also very patriotic and religious. Putin has seen Russia fall apart from its economic, military and national assets in the traumatic 1990s. With the help of a policy, some of which was still powerful, he is working to restore to his state the superpower that she had in the USSR.

Over the past decade, the president has put in a lot of efforts to create a bloc of Russia-affiliated states. In 2012, after returning to the presidency, he began a domestic policy that strongly criticized him in Western countries: he further reduced freedom of speech and private media, stopped comparative oligarchs, and political rivals signed a law that outlawed homosexuality, and more. In the international arena, Russia is in diplomatic and military conflicts with its neighbors, EU countries and the US.

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The significant event that led to this situation was the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014. The US and Western countries refused to understand the Russian interest in the matter, imposed sanctions on Moscow and senior and close government officials, and ousted Russia from a series of international forums. Allegations have surfaced about mysterious cyberattacks that hit a number of states, some trying to influence election results - as it was in the US in 2016 and are also being investigated these days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin // Photo: Reuters

Relations with the EU have worsened after the case of former Russian officer poisoning Sergei Skripal in the UK, which led to harsh accusations against Russia and the deportation of diplomats from several countries. At the same time, Putin exploited the weakness of the Obama administration in Syria and in 2015 dispatched units from the Russian army to help the Assad regime survive, a policy that has proven itself.

In the Middle East, he maintains close relations with Turkish President Erdogan and Iranian Khamenei President, from whom Russia also has considerable economic benefits. Following the retirement of the U.S. from the missile agreement last August, Putin is leading a new arms race in which advanced armament experiments are underway, some of which ended in mysterious accidents. 67-year-old Vladimir Putin does not intend to retire any time soon, and his term seems likely to continue beyond his official term in 2024.

Boris Johnson

(Quiche light)

The blonde demon, who broke into our lives somewhere in the early 2000s, has made his mark in history as "the man who will do anything to execute the barcassit deal."

Johnson, who served as mayor of London from 2008-2012, then led the city during the wonderful 2012 Olympics.

Gaboris Johnson tries to poke the shofar

After his term as mayor, Johnson stormed the British Parliament and the peak of his appointment as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth from 2016 to 2018, under Theresa May's government. In July 2019, he was elected prime minister with one clear goal - to put the Barcasit into practice.

Johnson is a controversial figure in British politics and the British press. His supporters praise him as an entertaining, humorous and popular figure who manages to attract voters who are not traditional conservatives. He has been criticized on both sides of the political map in Britain and the world at large, and is known for using racist and homophobic language and is considered an elitist.

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In terms of public image, there is no doubt that Johnson is considered a clown that nobody takes what he says seriously, but if we look at reality, most of what he says is implemented in one way or another, or if we are more precise - Johnson makes things move .

His racist views, smug doubts, which Genson is really not ashamed to say make him one of the most colorful leaders in the political world over the last decade.

There is no book that his decisions, whether it is the Barracasite crisis or the election elections, the shouting in Parliament and the outcry of beloved outgoing John Barco across the kingdom, have made an imprint on the world.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson // Photo: IP

As someone who has defined the Barcasit as a repetitive state, and who has put nationalism back on the table, Boris Johnson delivers to the audience and viewers of the world for the sake of every word that comes out of his mouth.

He represents the kind of new leaders, such as US President Donald Trump (who some would call "the villainous twins"), who don't really fit in with old-world political laws, and introduce new rules of the game into the political arena.

Victor Urban

(Net bar)

Viktor Urban, Hungary's prime minister, a relatively small nation of less than ten million people, is far more than just Hungary's leader. Urban is perhaps the epitome of the new right-wing spirit in Central and Eastern Europe, devoid of the liberal values ​​of the western continent, resisting immigration and striving to moderate the Union's power.

Urban came to power in Hungary in 2010 after the center-left government disbanded following repeated revelations of corruption and national debt that swelled to enormous proportions. Since then, Urban has been working to centralize the powers in the Central European country and has passed controversial laws.

Urban speaks a lot about "Christian European" identity and the replacement of liberal values ​​with "Christian family values." Among the controversial laws he passed were the Religious Law, which abolishes the legal status of a number of religious groups in the state, a law that allows his party to hold two-thirds of parliamentary seats even after winning less than a quarter of the electorate, a media law that significantly restricts freedom of the press in the state and deprives government funding of programs .

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Urban serves as a leader not only to many Hungarian citizens who share his worldview, but to many others across the continent. Urban has become the most prominent voice of the Vichyard group, which also unites Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and expresses their contradictory positions on the EU's leadership in Brussels, especially around opposition to immigration policy to the European continent. Urban is also leading the largest parliamentary group in the European Parliament, an unprecedented achievement to the right of the continent. Urban is considered a friend of Israel and a political partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Urban // Photo: Reuters

In spite of the international status that Urban has won among right-wingers from Europe and the world, his criticism in many circles is never-ending. Urban has been criticized following an anti-Semitic scent campaign against Jewish billionaire George Soros. Under Urban's leadership, far-right groups such as the anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist Ubik movement gained legitimacy and much greater leeway than in the past.

Urban's behavior with the media and with minority groups has led many in the European Union, even Urban's allies, to criticize him and his rule. The Union has also threatened to take economic action against Hungary, which could be devastating for a country whose economy remains weak in the face of heavy debts to the World Monetary Fund.

Source: israelhayom

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