Source: Time

BY Ian Bremmer

presidential candidates, Donald Trump made a lot of campaign promises. Though enough voters appear to have liked what they heard to make Trump President, some of those pledges, like deporting millions of illegal immigrants and banning Muslims from entering the country, are unlikely ever to be fulfilled. Here then are 5 of the most significant recent promises being made by politicians around the world, and what they tell us about current conditions in the countries they lead.

1. Angela Merkel, Germany
The promise:
“The full veil is not appropriate for us, and should be banned wherever legally possible.”

What it says about Germany:
Merkel remains committed to the Western liberal order. Having grown up in East Germany, she has seen the alternative firsthand. But her vow to accept as many Syrian refugees (more than a million to date) as qualify under German asylum rules has,however well-intentioned, created an easily measured political backlash across the country. Facing elections next fall, she has seen her approval rating drop from more than 70 percent in the summer of 2015 to 55 percent today. She remains the odds-on favorite to remain chancellor, but the trend lines have her attention—and her concern.

The promise to ban full-face covering for Muslim women represents an attempt to take the edge off the anger of those who blame Merkel for allowing too many Muslims to enter the country, even if the “legally possible” clause gives her some wiggle room. Ever the scientist, Merkel understands the idea, often attributed to Charles Darwin, that it’s not the strongest or smartest who survive—it’s those most capable of adapting to their environment.

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