“A Masterpiece of Disinformation”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Fredmund Malik, an economist from St. Gallen, about the tricks of the statisticians, the incorrect example set by the USA and the new soberness in German companies:

“The economic miracle in the United States was simply a media event, a masterpiece of disinformation. It never took place in economic reality. … Having liberal views certainly doesn’t mean unreservedly trusting the market, which allegedly makes everything work out the best way and is always wiser. … The market requires a meticulously thought-out set of rules. … Only a company which has satisfied customers will also have satisfied shareholders – the logic doesn’t work the other way round. … I think the German economy promises distinctly greater performance than the American economy. … The German economy knows more about customer benefits and particularly about quality than most other national economies. … However, I will admit that Germany could do with being a touch more innovative. … All the conditions are there for the developments that took place in the USA in the 1930s to repeat themselves in a similar form.”

“The Terrorists Hate Berlin Too”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with American security adviser Condoleezza Rice, about the continued shock of September 11, the successes of the world-wide war against terrorism, and the necessity for bringing down Saddam Hussein:

“For generations of Americans, the fact that America might be vulnerable was simply not within the realm of their experience … September 11 suddenly made everything clear: what we are threatened by is international terrorism and possibly also weapons of mass destruction in the hands of hostile countries, which may even be supporting terrorism as well. … It wasn’t that easy, perhaps, but many countries immediately understood that in view of a terrorist attack like this we were facing a common security risk. … We are in fact very satisfied and happy with the international cooperation. … Do we really still have to prove that Saddam Hussein is a threat to international stability and peace? … What really matters to me is that the Nato concept – an attack against one member is an attack against all of them – puts back into perspective the various different views, which we also have, of course.”

“The World Is Moving Closer Together”

SPIEGEL interview with German minister of justice Herta Däubler-Gmelin, about the legal consequences of September 11, international legal policy and the strained relations with the United States:

“Our documents, which could supply crucial evidence in the trial of the alleged terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, must not be used to bring about a death sentence or an execution. This position is based on our constitution; the other EU states are adhering to their and our joint legal traditions. … It’s important that one continues to struggle for a balance between civil rights and the new requirements of security. … I very much regret that America is currently trying to claim special rights for itself, when it is in fact a matter of the world-wide prosecution of genocide and crimes against humanity. And the USA does not decide alone whether or not to accept someone into NATO.”

“Let’s Get out of Here”

Labour market: Foreign computer experts were once the stars and in great demand. But with the collapse of the high-tech industry, the German “Green Card” has for many turned into a red card. Without speaking the language, lacking a job or opportunities, many are now returning to their home countries frustrated. They would be happy to stay. The need for them still exists, and those who are good and who look around for long enough are able to find jobs. But the Green Card means: you can only stay in Germany if you have a job. Lose that job, and you stand to be sent home before you can find a new one. The civil servants in the local aliens office decide how much time you have to do this – sometimes the period granted is longer, sometimes shorter. But usually shorter. The Federal government has promised that many things will be improved by the new immigration law. Greater security, more perspectives, and no conflict between residence and work permits.

“The Master and the Monsters”

Careers: No other lawyer defends evil as passionately as the Frenchman Jacques Vergès. He was friends with Mao and Pol Pot. His clients have included African dictators, the Nazi Klaus Barbie and the terrorist Carlos. Now he is giving advice to Slobodan Milosevic. Vergès moves in a realm beyond good and evil. In his opinion, morals are something for Trotskyites, social democrats and other softies. Everything is a game, and only the tragic is interesting. That is his doctrine.

“The Sound of the Black Holes”

Astrophysics: A new type of telescope is to be found in a field near Hannover. The researchers send laser beams down tunnels, and hence hope to demonstrate the presence of space tremors. Even the breakers in the North Sea can disrupt their highly sensitive measurements. The tremors that travel through space are all ludicrously small, because space is extremely stiff. Compressing and stretching it requires such huge amounts of energy that even the collapse of an entire galaxy only produces the slightest ripple in space-time. Any attempt at measuring these ripples must seem presumptuous - yet in the 1980s a small group of researchers set out confidently to come up with instruments that would go far beyond all previous measuring records. In Germany, seven years ago, a group around laser physicist Karsten Danzmann started to dig two perpendicular trenches: the interferometer GEO 600 was born. Researchers in Japan, Italy and the United States have sunk similar devices into the ground. The GEO 600 cost a mere 6 million euros, and necessity was the mother of invention. Its designers kept tinkering with the brackets for the mirrors, the amplifiers for the signals and the software for analysing them, until the sensitivity of the GEO 600 was equal to that of its huge brothers in the USA.

“Hearing Loss in the Capital”

Music: British star conductor Sir Simon Rattle is beginning his term in office as the head of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with a gala concert. The smiling Rattle is stubborn, and the self-confident orchestra displays the conceit of “the chosen ones”. There will be no lack of cause for trouble.

“Radical Return to the Ground”

Cars: The DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Smart, once laughed at, is turning into a genuine car maker. The first offspring of the urban midget is a sports car. The development costs were not that high. Although the original Smart and its sporty offspring outwardly appear to have little in common, 35 % of the parts used in the two models are actually the same. At an expected price of 15,000 euros, a kind of “sports car light” is emerging, which has no direct competitor anywhere in the world. Smart has thus managed, for the second time, to create an entirely new type of vehicle. In the third stage of its diversification, the Daimler subsidiary intends to relinquish its exotic status. In two years, the first four-door Smart is to be launched.

“Rioting under the Roof”

Animals: The raccoon is making itself at home in German cities. From Kassel to Berlin the little beasts are causing havoc and destruction. Nevertheless, these nuisances still have many fans. A farce of the German passion for animals once brought the North American procyonids to Germany. In a letter dated 8 February 1934, the Hessian poultry farmer Rolf Haag wrote to his local forestry office suggesting that two pairs of raccoons be released by Lake Eder in northern Hesse. Today, it is estimated that between 100,000 and a million raccoons live in Germany.

“Undemanding and Stubborn”

Switzerland: In the home of Emmental cheese, water buffalo are helping to produce a new up-market product: mozzarella. The farmers of Schangnau, whose buffalo milk sells for three times the price of cow’s milk, haveprepared themselves for a crisis in good time. For Emmental is not doing too well, though with an annual production of over 45,000 tonnes it is still the heavyweight among the Swiss cheeses. But the loaves are stacked right up to the ceiling in the large warehouses and stone cellars of the Emmental giant Emmi AG, for instance - exports of the large-holed cheese have dropped by almost a third.