BERLIN (Reuters) – A unilateral decision by the interior minister to reverse course on a central plank of Germany’s asylum policy has forced Chancellor Angela Merkel to edge away from her open-door welcome to refugees and raised questions about her leadership.
Critics say her accommodating message in August that “we can do this” – responding to wrenching scenes of refugees faced with border closures and popular hostility in trying to enter some EU states – have spurred migrants to pour into Germany in ever larger numbers, overwhelming the resources of local authorities.