A fitting coda to Angela Merkel’s long period in power in Germany is the increasing confidence of the refugees who found a safe haven in her country after 2015.
More than 1 million migrants are assimilating into what is, by both population and economic heft, Europe’s biggest state. The first pioneers are even emerging on the political scene.
Making a contribution to the shape of politics is a big part of the immigrant journey. In Germany, breaking into politics has historically been very hard for immigrants.
Germany has accepted millions of refugees in the past decade. EPA
When the first surge of migrants into Europe took place after the rise of ISIS, Ms Merkel took what was hailed as a bold stance.
"We can do this," she declared. "Wir schaffen das." At the time, it was seen as a reference to the capacity of the German economy to absorb the costs and burdens of a whole new strata of society.
It has since become clear that she foresaw a full scale embrace of the new German citizens.
This started almost immediately with dignified housing solutions and naturalisation advice. All new arrivals were provided with German language training. There was also technical training to prepare people for the demands of German employers.
Conversion rules were established to convert professional qualifications, such as those for doctors, to German standards.
The outcomes have been pretty smooth for a country that has in real time been buffeted by populism. The far right reemerged big-time. Radicalised extremists are proliferating, not just in street gangs but within some security services.
The German Parliament has been transformed, with a far-right party, Alternativ fur Deutschland, holding the position of the official opposition.
But the political march to the extremes appears to have stalled. Analysts are now seeing signs of how resilient the centre ground is, and that Germany's migrants are finding their voice.
The latest research shows the moderate “people’s parties”, especially Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, are strongly backed by new German citizens.
Polling for the Konrad Adenaeur Foundation, a think tank tied to Ms Merkel’s party, has found that support for the party from foreign-born voters has risen above 40 per cent. As recently as 2015, only 17 per cent of Turkish-born voters expressed support for the CDU. The Adenauner Foundation has found that the figure is now 53 per cent.
According to population data, there are 13 million foreign-born voters in Germany, the highest number in absolute terms outside the US.
There has been a benefit to Ms Merkel’s party in voters of all stripes, including migrants, appreciating the country’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Posters calling for "No more Morias", referring to the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos which burned down, are hung on a tree on February 18, 2021 in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. AFP
Germany's political march to the extremes appears to have stalled
Germany has effectively responded to the healthcare strains resulting from the spread of the virus.
It has now rolled out a vaccination campaign that Ms Merkel wants to see reach 10 million jabs a week by the summer.
Viola Neu, the researcher behind the CDU data on migrant voting patterns, told the Wall Street Journal that she sees the trend as a process of "normalisation". Migrants are acting according to their values and personal preferences and are not tied to the group.
Aspiring politicians see politics as a way of changing society but also displaying their own sense of the country’s destiny. Timur Husein, the son of self-identified "left-wing" immigrant parents, is the CDU leader in Berlin’s central district of Kreuzberg. Mr Husein came to national attention when he fought a campaign to keep the names of Prussian generals on local streets.
His political awakening came when he saw that left-wing students were burning their education certificates, something that stuck in his mind because he and his parents had struggled to get an education.
Many migrants are entrepreneurs often share the centre-right values of low taxes and progress up the social ladder while disdaining social debates or a preoccupation with identity-focused policy tests.
The involvement of politicians from a migrant background is not limited to the centre-right. The upcoming 2021 general election in Germany is the second vote since Tareq Alaows crossed in a dingy to Europe. But if he is elected for the Green Party, Mr Alaows will make history as the first Syrian refugee to have a voice in making German laws and regulation.
The 31-year-old says there are many voices and high-profile debates but no one to talk about the refugees themselves. He recalls how living in a gymnasium in 2015 with dozens of others inspired him to get involved politically.
The Green Party is a coming force in Germany. The climate agenda is just the foundation stone of its concepts of a more inclusive type of politics. The lesson from both aspiring politicians is that their outlook was tested in personal moments that proved life-changing.
It is notable also that the mainstream parties are ready to change and absorb people with formative experiences outside the German stereotype.
Politics has needed a rebirth since the tumult that swept Europe with the first mass influx of refugees in 2015. Ms Merkel is giving way to new successors, but her long-term impact may yet be seen in the cohort of those who came into politics when she was on her way out.
Damien McElroy is the London bureau chief at The National
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50) South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
