Despite speculation, Merkel herself may not want to lead the UN

In response to ongoing speculation about the possibility of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s candidacy for UN secretary general, Thorsten Benner said in a statement to Deutsche Welle that Merkel, while qualified, would not find the position ​“particularly attractive.” It is difficult for a secretary general, who has only ​“the power of words,” to achieve concrete results when facing crises driven by geopolitical confrontations, Benner said. Merkel would not find the prospect of ​“speechifying” appealing.