Annalena Baerbock, the former co-leader of the environmentalist Greens and now the first woman to serve as Germany’s top diplomat, marks three months in office on International Women’s Day (March 8). She has emerged as one of the countryˈs most popular politicians, winning overwhelming praise also from conservative quarters for her clarity and steadiness in a time of great upheaval across Europe and major changes in German foreign policy. Last Thursday, the monthly Deutschlandtrend opinion poll found that Baerbock was easily Germanyˈs second-most esteemed politician after Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). Some 50% of respondents said they were either pleased or very pleased with her work — a massive increase of 14% from the same time the previous month. The growing appreciation for Baerbock stems largely from how she has handled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Twitter, German users have lauded her as “made for the role” of foreign minister and “the best choice” for the job that Chancellor Scholz could have made. Analysts have also noted that the Green Party lawmaker was the only candidate vying for the role of chancellor ahead of Germanyˈs federal election in 2021 to call the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia a mistake. Less than two weeks ago, amid Russian aggression toward Ukraine, Scholz indefinitely blocked the pipeline from going into service.
Exceeding expectations
Across the board, German news outlets, such as the magazines Spiegel and Die Zeit, have been applauding the foreign minister for “speaking plainly” about the crisis and also talking directly to the Kremlin. When she went to Moscow in the days before the invasion, she seemed unflustered by her surroundings. In her speech last week at the United Nations Baerbock looked straight at her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, saying “you are abusing your power as a permanent member of the Security Council…you can deceive yourself, but you do not deceive us.” Paul-Anton Krüger, the chief foreign policy writer for the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily, said her speech “made no attempt to hide behind diplomatic empty phrases. That’s both good and long overdue.” Krüger added that Baerbockˈs first months in office have confirmed for the general public what she spoke of in the autumn, namely “that switching to renewable energy as soon as possible…is now mandatory,” for both reasons of climate protection and security policy as Europe tries to wean itself off Russian gas. Writing for Bavarian public broadcaster BR, foreign policy correspondent Barbara Kostolnik wrote last week of how Baerbock has exceeded expectations: “How many doubts, reservations, and resentments were heard and read when Annalena Baerbock, wife, mother, 40, first entered the Foreign Ministry as Germany’s top diplomat. More or less openly, many foreign policy observers asked the question that women are often asked: ‘Can she do this?'” Her election campaign to become German chancellor was marred by online trolling but also minor scandals such as plagiarizing parts of her 2021 book and delaying to pay tax on a Christmas bonus. Baerbock admitted her mistakes and apologized repeatedly, putting her firmly on the defensive, which many felt made her look weak. Now, Kostolnik emphasizes, in the face of a crisis, “nothing is left of that Annalena Baerbock, an insecure, tense, harried woman.” “She began cautiously,” Kostolnik said, but quickly emerged as a decisive, clear leader acting on Germanyˈs behalf internationally. A day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Baerbock hit the right note when she made a statement saying “we woke up in a different world today… we are stunned, but not helpless.” These words, which were seen as refreshingly open and honest, were well-received in Germany as being in touch with the public mood.
‘This young lady’
During Baerbock’s campaign for chancellor and her early days in office conservative pundits wondered whether the young mother was up for the job. But she went on the offensive arguing that if it was possible for Jacinda Ardern to combine a career and a political career in New Zealand, then it would also be possible in Germany. Baerbock has two daughters of primary school age and a stay-at-home husband. Her first days in office saw users take to social media to ridicule her every minor slip of the tongue. For instance, when she spoke of Fressefreiheit (which could be understood as a colloquial term for freedom of the mouth) instead of Pressefreiheit (press freedom), a video of the lapse went viral on Twitter. In February, it became obvious that not everyone had overcome sexist attitudes towards Germany’s foreign minister when Christoph von Marschall, a correspondent for the Tagesspiegel daily, referred to the now 41-year-old top diplomat as “this young lady” on television, questioning whether she was fit for her role during a visit to Ukraine in which she visited troops wearing a flak jacket and military helmet. His comments were met with a barrage of criticism and accusations of sexism. According to Agnieszka Brugger, a defense policy expert for the Greens, Baerbockˈs feminist leanings have given her special insight, particularly with regards to the current conflict. Brugger told TheTeCHyWorLDˈs Rosalia Romaniec that one of Baerbock’s talents was “countering the narrative that powerful states have specific zones of geopolitical influence with another story, that of human security and human rights.” Brugger highlighted two exemplary Baerbock quotes: Security is “about whether families and children in the middle of our Europe can grow up safely and in peace” and after her trip to Ukraine’s Donbas region the foreign minister said “only when women are safe is everyone safe.” Annalena Baerbock visited the Donbas region on a trip to Ukraine in January
Climate policy takes a backseat
When Baerbock took office in December 2021, she announced the transfer responsibility for international climate policy from the Environment Ministry into her Foreign Ministry and said she would be Germany’s chief negotiator at the UN climate conferences. This gives foreign climate policy a higher priority than before in the “traffic light” government. This was seen as an upgrade for the Foreign Office, which had lost ground to the Chancellery in recent years. Since then the issue has taken a back seat — with the exception of her appointment of Greenpeace International chief Jennifer Morgan to the position of special representative for international climate policy in the Foreign Ministry three weeks ago. Whether Baerbock’s current popularity holds out in the long term remains to be seen. But she has used her first three months in office to defy her skeptics and hold her own on the world stage. While you’re here: Every Tuesday, TheTeCHyWorLD editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.