First published in Respekt.
A portrait of the Danish prime minister who has found an unusual recipe for keeping her country on a liberal course.
When, around the turn of the year, Politico drew up a ranking of politicians who would have the greatest impact on events in Europe this year, the podium brought a surprise. Not because American president Donald Trump sat on the very top, but because right behind him came the prime minister of a state with only six million inhabitants, whose weight in international affairs an uninformed observer would probably not bet on.
According to Politico’s editors, it is precisely Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen who has an effective recipe for the various problems of today, and who also has the combative, bulldog-like nature that is necessary in difficult times.
And that is not only with regard to the ongoing war in Ukraine, but also because it was this 48-year-old Social Democrat who was not intimidated by Trump’s strongman style of politics and who is, together with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, the main driving force behind the changes enabling Europe to stand its ground in the new reality.
