The Ukraine Crisis and Body Language of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

By Sodium

Through watching the global news on the Internet, I have been accustomed to seeing Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany so admirably engaging in her diplomatic efforts whatever was of interest to her country and its trading partners. Because of this fact, I was struck by watching her calm face so un-interested in, or even totally detached to, what the newly appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine was telling her, as both of them were walking side by side, rather slowly, toward a conference to be held by the members of the European Union in which Germany belonged. In fact, her calm face, as it appeared to me, had a touch of " glassy boredom ", by what she had heard from the tall and slim and bald-headed and talking NEW Ukrainian Prime Minister. In short, the spirit of engagement and interest that I had sensed in Chancellor Merkel, in so many global diplomatic events, was simply not there, as she walked, side by side, with the Ukrainian Prime Minister.

At one point, during their walk, she raised her head upward to examine, with her calm face, without saying a single word, the face of the talking Ukrainian, ( he was much taller than her ), as to diplomatically saying to him: " I just wonder how much truthfulness has really existed in what you have just finished telling me ! "

They both eventually had arrived to the place where the conference was supposed to be held. At this point, and right at the entrance of the conference hall, did she smile broadly, as she was received by an official of the host country in which the conference was held. After the apparently pleasant handshake with the host of the conference, she disappeared inside into the conference hall.

As the conference was over, the news came out that members of the European Union could not form one single position with regards to Russia's military occupation of the semi-island called Crimea which was supposed to be part of Ukraine. Some members, especially the Baltic countries, ( Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia ), wanted the European Union to take tough measures against Russia, while some other members did not want to go that far. Germany and United Kingdom, ( Britain ), were among those members who did not want to inflame an already inflammable situation with Russia. It seems to me that both, Britain and Germany have a lot to lose, if tough measures against Russia materialized. Based upon this reality, no wonder I saw, on the Internet and after the conference was over, Chancellor Angela Merkel shared a small table, in a friendly setting, with David Cameron, Prime Minister of United Kingdom, ( Britain ). However, their faces looked like not exactly pleased by the outcome of the conference because, perhaps, they had been considered by the bellicose members of the European Union as couple of outcasts, even perhaps coward, of which I believed they were not either, but wisely political and diplomatic REALISTS.

Finally, I must admit that I look forward to see, on the Internet, in the near future, the engaging and caring Angela Merkel I have been accustomed to watching and learning from, especially from her positive and constructive gestures, in the world of political leadership and diplomacy.

END.