Helmut Anheier, adjunct professor of public policy and social welfare at UCLA Luskin, penned a Project Syndicate commentary on former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recently published memoir, “Freedom,” chronicling her life and career. Merkel, once considered Europe’s most influential politician, left office only three years ago, but “the world has changed so dramatically that her chancellorship already feels like it belongs to a different era,” Anheier writes. Germany’s first female chancellor’s tenure consisted of small, technocratic steps rather than “grand ambitions for Germany’s future, much less Europe’s.” While a number of crises elevated Merkel’s standing locally and globally, he writes, her legacy has been marred by several major missteps, such as misreading Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist ambitions and a reluctance to push for much-needed domestic reforms. “Nevertheless, though she was neither a visionary nor a charismatic leader, Merkel was a perfect fit for Germany at a pivotal moment in its history.”