SPIEGEL cover story about Iran and the prospects of another war in the Middle East:
Is it conceivable that, despite the sobering experiences in Iraq, the American president may be after a second missionary adventure? The idea has to be faced, even though there is much that speaks against it: especially the fiasco in Iraq. The possibility cannot be denied, in view of all our experiences with the 43rd President, because so far he has always meant what he said. Bush has a great deal of staying power, he prepares his country and the rest of the world for his plans. He wants to prevent Iran's becoming a nuclear power at all costs. He mistrusts the diplomatic efforts of the Europeans and is honing his military options.
"It's Easy to Shoot"
SPIEGEL interview with Teheran journalist Amir Mohebbian about the US plans for attacking Iran and the nuclear conflict with the West:
"It is precisely the uncertainty as to the consequences of an attack that is one of the factors which might prevent Washington from attacking. The only thing that is certain is that the cost to the USA will be greater than what it stands to gain... It is not a question of the bomb, it is a question of Iran's future perspectives. We want to use the positive possibilities offered by nuclear technology for science, in the field of medicine for instance. This is our internationally attested right. ... We are not going to let America destroy our relations with Europe."
"Positive Signals from Washington"
SPIEGEL in-depth interview with the President of the European Commission José Manuel Duraro Barroso about Europe's relationship with the United States, the dwindling competitiveness of the old continent, and the argument over the finances of the EU:
"On both sides there is a wish to put aside the differences, and to overcome a great division, which also existed within the European Union. ... We now have 25 member states, soon there will be 27 and even more. If the member states of such a system did not accept the Commission's role as a leader, this would be a disaster for Europe. ... The reunification of our continent, which began with German reunification, is a wonderful achievement. Instead of talking about beautiful visions I would rather say: Let us consolidate this process. ... We owe the fact that we now have historically the lowest rate of inflation in Europe to the stability pact as well as to the remarkable achievements of the independent European Central Bank. But price stability is not just the foremost condition for growth, it is also important for every employee."
"Operation Cleansweep"
Internal security: The new immigration law makes it easier to deport foreign citizens - the Ministers of the Interior are preparing to expel hundreds of Islamists. These include suspected terrorists, such as the al-Tawhid defendants in Düsseldorf and people returning from Afghanistan, but also smugglers and imams such as Salem al-Rafei, prayer leader at Berlin's al-Nur mosque.
"Hasty Sale"
Managers: Did Jürgen Dormann, former head of Hoechst, give away a potential billion-dollar seller far below its true value? This question is now being investigated by the public prosecutor's office. The reason for bringing these criminal charges is a deal that Dormann and his then head of pharmaceuticals, Richard Markham, hastily closed in 1998, one day before Christmas Eve. Back then the totally insignificant US pharmaceuticals company King Pharmaceuticals acquired the right to manufacture and sell the substance Ramipril on the American market for 322.5 million dollars. The former head of Hoechst's dermatology division accuses his ex-boss of having squandered Hoechst assets and thus bringing about the break-up of the company and practically forcing it to merge with Rhone-Poulenc to form Aventis.
"Jihad against Babies"
Iraq: The Kurds and Shiites are already assured of electoral success; in Baghdad Prime Minister Alawi is hoping for Sunni support. But in view of the daily terror, the hopes of progress are dwindling.
"The Seekers of Car Nic"
Tsunami: A journey to the south of the Andabar and Nicobar Islands demonstrates that the Indian government is dressing up the statistics concerning the number of victims, and letting down its own citizens in the process. The word "tsunami" stands for a disaster that has affected the entire world, and at the same time for an attempt by everyone to help everyone; only the Andaman and Nicobar Islands remained a black hole during the days of the disaster because no pictures were available from there, and no information. Now, almost four weeks afterwards, the people here are cut off from aid and solidarity because their government wants it that way. Because it is a question of pride and strength. Of shame. It is a question of India's easternmost military base, on Car Nicobar, from which it monitored China, Thailand and in particular the Strait of Malacca. The islands are of military importance but politically insignificant, the locals are not needed.
"Place of the Inconceivable"
Holocaust: On 27 January 1945 the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz extermination camp - Hitler's monstrous death factory. How was the systematic murder of almost six million Jews, the biggest crime of the past millennium, able to happen? Peter Longerich believes the fact that reconstructing the "Final Solution" leaves so much "room for the imagination" is "only astonishing at first sight". In the land of bureaucracy, the most modern in Europe at the time, the most important decisions concerning the destruction of an entire race were apparently not recorded in writing - or else disguised in words that are not immediately accessible. And the records that did exist were largely destroyed at the end of the war - like the gas chambers themselves. The aim was to leave behind as little evidence as possible. It is nevertheless possible to come closer to understanding the causes, reasons and motives. Munich historian Dieter Pohl, a colleague of Longerich, has retrospectively determined "five levels" which "build upon one another, chronologically and factually". The scientist considers that only "taken together are they sufficiently adequate as to have led to this disaster."
"Interview with Anita Lasker-Wallfisch"
SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Auschwitz survivor and cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, 79, about her fate as a Jew in the Third Reich, about the daily terror in the concentration camps and the way the Holocaust is commemorated by the Germans:
"Auschwitz had a very strict hierarchy. We had little direct contact with the Germans. They had invented the Kapo system, and the people who yelled at us were themselves prisoners. ... The most important thing is not so much to tell people a whole lot about those times; it is more important to apply those past experiences to the present day. I see the danger that the Holocaust could be put under a sort of glass bell, like the Napoleonic wars or the Thirty Year War. If the memory of the atrocities and inhuman actions isn't linked to the present times, it is pointless."
"Time-Lapse Development"
Cars: Following an extremely brief test period, BMW is releasing the new model of its Series 3. Many aspects have only been tested by computer - a risky procedure. According to its chief developer, BMW can afford to economise in this way because it has "mastered the art of virtual processes". An ambitious claim that has already been the downfall of some renowned competitors. The most spectacular flop was that of Mercedes in 1997 with the first generation of its A class. So far BMW has been spared fiascos of this kind, but here too quality problems have been occurring increasingly often, which are not in line with the car maker's immaculate reputation.
"Blowing Kisses in the Fast Lane"
Music: The Chinese pianist Lang Lang is the new glamour boy of the international piano scene. But recently the young narcissus has begun to jeopardise his enormous talent through conceited mannerisms. Lang Lang, 22, is currently as hip as they come in the global music scene: a creature of multimedia marketing, styled to perfection like his violin predecessors Nigel Kennedy, Hilary Hahn and Vanessa Mae. He has no trouble playing at 150 events a year; he has at his fingertips 40 piano concertos, including many of a highly virtuoso calibre, and enough of a repertoire to give a few dozen solo recitals. In fact, his rank as a musician is uncontested, his skill spectacular. But suddenly a troublemaker is getting in the way of his career: Lang Lang the actor. He is starting to transfer his stage antics to the keyboard, a bad habit that is extremely annoying.
"Love Happens to Be Physical"
SPIEGEL interview with British film director Michael Winterbottom, 43, about his sex and rock 'n' roll film "9 Songs":
"I simply noticed that all the love stories I had told in my earlier films had somewhat frustrated me. Because it so happens that sex and physical intimacy are at the heart of every love story. Literature has found ways of narrating that core, in movies you constantly palaver your way round it. ... Finding people who felt up to this form of acting was definitely the most difficult part of the project. Because it was not just a matter of sex; after all we wanted to end up with a proper film. ... But in contrast to thousands of love films that are about love without showing it, we at least made the attempt. Most people whom I told about the project beforehand thought it revolting, but ultimately they didn't find the film that bad at all."
"Drinking a Beer to Paradise"
Flood disaster: The survivors of Ko Phi Phi include a number of German dropouts. They were on the island paradise to escape the cold, confining world of their homeland. Now they are searching among the rubble of their houses for the last remnants of their dreams.
"An American against Austria"
Alpine skiing: Since the beginning of the season, Bode Miller has been at the top of the World Cup tables; the American is a favourite for all the events at the world championships in Bormio. But with every success, the fun-loving skier is destroying his own idyll. As the challenger of the Austrian skiing superpower, he has become a reluctant star.
© DER SPIEGEL 4/2005
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