Angela Merkel

Prime Minister Scott Morrison released the statement at the weekend from Cornwall, where the G7 is meeting.

As her 16-year reign as German Chancellor comes to an end, Merkel will be remembered for her staunch centrism and her willingness to wait to sense the political mood – sometimes then changing course.

Even accounting for institutional context and other controls, being female-led has provided countries with an advantage in the current crisis.

In Germany, the coronavirus is not an ‘enemy’, and the process of containing it is not a ‘war’. It’s a ‘situation’, an ‘historical task’, and a ‘great challenge’ ahead. Perhaps there’s a tendency among German politicians to avoid war metaphors for historical reasons.