Leonid Bershidsky: Merkel’s legacy isn’t flashy, but it’s lasting

Now that the Social Democratic Party (SPD) membership has voted to form a coalition with Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, all the obstacles to the German chancellor’s fourth term in office have been removed. It’s time for Merkel to think about her legacy. Though no chancellor has given up leadership voluntarily, without an electoral defeat or a major scandal, none has served longer than Helmut Kohl’s 16 years and 26 days, and that makes it likely that Merkel, visibly ex