Angela Merkel returned from her summer holiday yesterday but any relaxation she might have snatched while away must have evaporated instantly. Although she’s been in power for more than a decade, Germany’s chancellor can hardly have faced a trickier year than the one that’s ahead of her. At home she has her disobedient ally Horst Seehofer (who has openly criticised her refugee policies), the rise of the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland party and the aftermath of multiple attacks in Bavaria to wrestle with. The situation beyond Germany’s borders looks even more troublesome: president Erdogan has continued his crackdown in Turkey, tensions between Russia and Ukraine are bubbling over again and the conflict in Syria rages on. With elections due next autumn, Merkel’s every move on each of these issues will be scrutinised and studied. We hope she rested up.