Memoirs put former German Chancellor back in spotlight

Germany’s former chancellor is back in the spotlight launching a 20-stop reading tour of his new memoirs. Gerhard Schroeder was joined by Luxemburg’s prime minister in Berlin on the first stage of his journey to present his autobiography “Decisions – My Life in Politics” – which covers his seven years in office.

Barely on the shelves, the book is already causing a stir with its swipes at the US president and admiration of Russia’s leader. Schroeder criticises George W Bush for making decisions influenced by religion – but by contrast praises Vladimir Putin for what he describes as alert intelligence. Schroeder is said to have resisted pressure to wait longer to write this political portrait. Though some say that means it lacks perspective, for others it has a freshness often missing from memoirs.

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