English Summaries
The mistakes made by the Ministry of the Interior in preparing the case for banning the extreme rightist National Democratic Party in Germany continue to cause a furore amongst the opposition parties. The pressure on Minister Otto Schily to resign is increasing. The role the Federal Intelligence Service - and police informers - play in such political processes is one of the crucial issues.
"Greater Secrecy, More Control"
SPIEGEL interview with former UN prosecutor Richard Goldstone on the fate of the Guantanamo prisoners:
"The prisoners are entitled to have an independent court decide what their status is. Either they are prisoners of war, or else they are criminals. As ordinary criminals they should be put before a proper court of law; as prisoners of war they are covered by the regulations of international agreements. The USA, its citizens and its government, will not close its mind to criticism - that's the advantage of democracies, where votes and moods count."
"Always Staying Wide Awake"
SPIEGEL interview with Brigadier General Carl Hubertus von Butler on the risks of Germany's military operation in Afghanistan:
"Of course we see a diffuse range of risks and threats. We have to concentrate on Kabul. This is the seat of the interim government, which must be able to work in a safe environment. If this germ cell of security flourishes, then it can spread outwards. Before I judge life here, I first have to understand it."
"Time for Reaping"
Russia: Under the rule of former KGB agent Putin, secret service staff are taking over leading positions. As in the old days, power struggles in the Kremlin and in the provinces are carried out with recourse to the dirty tricks of the cadres from the invisible front. Whenever candidates run in regional elections who do not suit the Kremlin but whose prospects appear to be quite good, material turns up at just the right time to put these candidates out of the running - material concerning apartments that have not been declared to the fiscal authorities, unregistered bank accounts abroad, embezzled loans and tax money. Meanwhile unknown political amateurs from Putin's St. Petersburg surroundings are rising to top positions. Secret service officers, experienced in being at the control centres of power, make sure that such operations go smoothly. At least two dozen reliable cadres who served with Putin in the Leningrad KGB bureau or later in East Germany, have been appointed to high positions by the Kremlin.
"Dynamite in the Doctor's Surgery"
The 1.6 million patients suffering from fibromyalgia in Germany are not particularly popular with many doctors, because the question "physical or mental causes?" is a persistent explosive issue. Now modern pain research might be able to provide some new impulses to help understand this mysterious disease.
"The Good Fortune of the Dead"
Authors: Afghan writer Atiq Rahimi wrote his first novel in exile in Paris. It is a depressing parable on the cycle of war and retaliation. September 11, 2001 changed the life of the unknown author in his Paris exile overnight. Rahimi suddenly became the literary voice of Afghanistan. Rahimi believes that Afghanistan will only be able to break out of the eternal cycle of its tragedies once it starts to mourn. The key to refraining from revenge lies in mourning, in acknowledging one's suffering and overcoming it.
"Orders to Fire in the Ski Circus"
Snow cannon save the winter season in the Alps. But the artificial snow is controversial. Many people worry that the instant ski runs could destroy the mountains.
Soccer: Although five African teams will once again be taking part in the final round of the World Cup, even in Africa the euphoria that gripped international football at the beginning of the last decade is over. At a time when rock-hard defensive play is passé at the level of top international soccer, the African teams are currently reverting to playing a safe game, just as if the developments of the recent years had never happened. Their chances of being able to keep up on the world-class level are not only reduced by their style of playing, but also by organisational failings off the pitch. In view of these circumstances it is all the more astonishing that African teams have attracted so much attention over the past decade at all.
