As of January, Germany will have a seat on the Security Council for two years. In view of their position towards a potential war in Iraq, the Germans will have to display a great deal of skill.

"Treasure in a Brick Building"

Semiconductor chips: Brandenburg's local government is moving heaven and earth for a microchip factory to be built in Frankfurt (Oder), but the US company Intel could very simply wipe out their dream of such a source of jobs. According to the plans of its operator, Communicant Semiconductor Technologies AG, the high-tech factory is to manufacture super-modern chips. The principal investors into the start-up company are the emirate of Dubai, the American semiconductor giant Intel and the state of Brandenburg itself. But the chances of semiconductor chips ever being produced on the Oder River are in fact extremely remote. The party that stands to profit most from the deal is the US company Intel. According to high-tech experts, the contract casts severe doubts on the allegedly serious interest of the Americans in the factory in Germany. These awkward conclusions all follow from the most important part of the contract, a 39-page "Intel Communicant R&D and Technology License Agreement".

"Coalition of the Elite"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with US economist Paul Krugman about the ambiguous prospects for the world economy, the necessary reforms in Germany and his journalistic battle against President Bush, whom he accuses of favouring the rich at the expense of the poor:

"What's clear is that the US economy is growing too slowly to be able to use its productive capacity to the full. This puts pressure on prices and hence on profits, and that means that the unemployment figures are continuing to rise. The parallels with the situation in Japan in the early 1990s are stronger than we would like them to be. … If you do the calculations for the proposals that are currently being put forward by the White House, two thirds of the benefits favour the top five percent of the population. … The extent to which this administration is trying to deceive the public really is quite spectacular. … Alan Greenspan, the head of the Federal Reserve, was one of the most prominent proponents of this unlimited millennium optimism. He became a cheerleader, and if there's one thing that a central banker should never be, that's it."

"Those Who Defy the Crisis"

Corporations: Positive corporate news has been rare this past year. But there has been some, coming from BMW and Porsche, Lufthansa and Altana. What distinguishes these groups from the bulk of the unsuccessful? A management that does not pursue current fashions. When company bosses moan how bad conditions are in Germany, this is often just a red herring. But it would be wrong to draw the opposite conclusion, that the conditions need not be changed because good managers can also cope with difficult terrain. Individual companies may be able to grow profitably in Germany, too, but for the national economy as a whole the decisive question is: how many companies succeed in doing this, how many new companies are set up and how many additional jobs are created. It is the numbers that matter, and that is where there is a shortage.

"Dubious Through and Through"

Contemporary history: During his London emigration, Sebastian Haffner was spied upon and kept under surveillance. A dossier kept by the British secret service MI5 shows that the agile journalist posed considerable problems to the secret agents. They didn't know what to make of him. Sebastian Haffner's career prospered, becoming the most spectacular success story of a German emigrant in the UK. The upper-class son of a Prussian reform pedagogue was supposed to be deported again quickly afterwards - intelligence staff and informers later accused him sometimes of communist, sometimes of national-socialist sympathies. As one official noted: "Our records on Raimund Pretzel [Haffners's civil-law name] display extraordinary opposites in the assessment of his political views". On the other hand, the British overseas espionage department twice considered recruiting the unfathomable German - in 1940 and 1943.

"Allah's Gentle Revolutionary"

Islamic reform: The Shiite sect of the Ismailis is regarded as the avant-garde among Muslims. In our modern age, Karim Aga Khan IV leads his 20 million followers like a pope, benefactor and corporate boss - the Begum at his side comes from Germany. The Ismaili leader travels from country to country in his private jet, sometimes accompanied by his wife, as a mediator between the worlds, received almost everywhere as a visitor of state. The "constitution" of the Ismailis dictates that they should support their respective countries as loyal citizens. This can be a tough - sometimes even intolerable - demand. The Aga Khan demonstrates great willingness to compromise with his forced political partners, at least outwardly. He hopes for positive changes, which better education and a greater openness to the world are likely to produce in the long run: a gentle revolutionary.

"Only He Who Helps People, Serves God"

SPIEGEL interview with Karim Aga Khan IV, about his role as the descendant of the prophet and leader of the Ismailis:

"You have to adapt certain aspects to the needs of the times, and try to lead the way as the avant-garde in the battle against backwardness. … To us, Islam means appreciating human pluralism, as well as open-mindedness. … Many problems have not actually arisen in the context of Islam but through the politics of the colonial powers. … I refuse to draw any connections between the world religion of Islam and terrorism. … You cannot compare Baghdad's situation with that of Kabul. Incidentally, the Taliban should never have come to power in Afghanistan in the first place - the West shares part of the blame for that."

"Land of the Future"

Brazil: As its new president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva takes office, Brazil is not the only one to be hoping that this will mark a new era. The entire continent is seeking alternatives to the neo-liberal politics of the past decade. But the problems faced are huge. In his election campaign, Lula promised more social justice, and everyone realises that this is long overdue. No one knows how many of his ideas Lula will be able to implement. The country is in a severe debt crisis. If Lula's balancing act leads to more democracy and social justice without having to make significant new borrowings, it could well serve as a political model for the entire continent.

"The Uprising of a Daughter"

Unrest: In Iran, Islamic hard-liners and reformers are fighting for power. Amid such factional disputes, an artist living in Frankfurt wants to clear up the political murder of her parents. The murder of the Forouhars was one of many attempts by the regime to intimidate its critics. Successfully. Since the murder, for the past four years, a menacing peace has reigned in Iran. The silent struggle in Iran receives little attention in the West. The Islamic powers that be are in a dilemma. As soon as they grant political liberties, as demanded by the comparatively powerless Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, they will trigger a development which they are no longer able to control. And if they refuse to grant those liberties, the pressure will increase. They know the game, after all they were revolutionaries once themselves. So they are only left with one recourse: intimidation.

"Eyelid Alarm"

Accident research: Every year, more than 200 people are killed on German motorways because overtired drivers overestimate themselves and fall asleep at the wheel. A research vehicle with a infrared camera is now able to recognise when its driver threatens to nod off. Since no healthy individual falls abruptly from a state of wakefulness into one of sleep, the infrared camera would be the ideal sensor for an automatic waking system, which could rouse drivers shrilly when they were dropping off, before their eyes closed entirely. Nevertheless such a device will probably not be built, because the industry fears the wrath of its customers. Any warning that tells drivers "you are tired" could infuriate them, because this wouldn't be news to them. The industry therefore rejects the idea of such a schoolmasterly assistant.