Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been an exemplary leader on the global stage and set new standards for principled governance and a blending of progressive and traditional values. Often described as the most powerful woman in the world, she was born in 1954 and has been Chancellor since 2005. She spoke to parliament in February of 2018 to condemn the Turkish invasion of Afrin in Syria, where she said “thousands and thousands of civilians are being persecuted, dying, or forced to flee.”