It's hard to decide whether to laugh or cry at the way the wives of world leaders are turned into some sort of travelling circus during summit meetings. In London and Strasbourg last week, it was almost painful to witness. Why wives feel they have to tag along in the first place is not clear, but they always turn up and some poor aide clearly has to dream up activities to keep them occupied. Political animals being what they are, they cram in photo opportunities at every stop.
While their husbands discussed serious matters such as the global economy at the G20 summit in London, the girls put on their best frocks and lined up for a photo on the stage of the Royal Opera House like a parade of Miss World contestants circa 1950. Significantly absent from the cosy parade of spouses were the first husbands Joachim Sauer and Nestor Kirchner, the other halves, respectively, of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the President of Argentina.
Both men wisely chose the role of Phantoms of the Opera instead of turning up for these demeaning and dated photo opportunities. Sauer, 60, a quantum chemist and professor at Berlin's Humboldt University, has refused to play the part of dutiful spouse and even stayed at home on the day Merkel was inaugurated as chancellor. Kirchner, formerly his country's president, presumably had more important things to do back home. Maybe it was his night for washing his hair.
