German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said "there is work to be done" in Germany to face up to the dark forces that are finding mainstream support there and in other parts of the world.
"In Germany, obviously, they always have to be seen in a certain context, in the context of our past, which means we have to be that much more vigilant than others," she said.
Speaking exclusively to CNN's Christiane Amanpour a day after the European elections, where nationalists failed to live up to a forecasted surge in support, Merkel said we have to face-up "to the specters of the past."
"We have to tell our young people what history has brought over us and others."
The Chancellor again defended her decision to allow nearly 1 million refugees into Germany, saying that the best way to manage immigration in the wake of humanitarian crises, like those in Syria and Iraq, was not to "shut ourselves off from each other," but to be more "vigilant" in making sure that refugees fleeing these countries are "sufficiently cared for."
This might seem strange, given that Merkel has previously been dubbed the "climate Chancellor" due to her public support for green and clean energy initiatives. Indeed, she was one of the most vocal critics of US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.
Of her relationship with Trump, Merkel responded to a question about the public perception of her being a punching bag for the US President, by acknowledging that they have "had contentious debates" but that they've managed to find "common ground" where it was needed.
She said that all German Chancellors had an "obligation" to forge a relationship with the US President.
"One of the most important decisions that (the) United States took after the second world war, to give Germany and Europe a chance to actually develop themselves, well ... That was achieved by the Marshall Plan. America has always defended us," Merkel said.
Merkel is nearly halfway through her fourth and final term as Chancellor. Reflecting on nearly 15 years as leader of one of the world's most powerful nations, the most powerful politician in Europe and, arguably, the most powerful woman in the world, she spoke of the responsibility she felt to women and girls that looked up to her.
"For many girls, apparently, I have become indeed a role model, during my time of chancellorship," she added. "We need more women in these relevant positions and that means men have to change their way of life."
With Merkel's final term as Chancellor ending in 2021, backers of her brand of politics fear it's on the way out as populism from both the left and right erodes the political center.
