"Greed for Black Gold"

SPIEGEL cover story: George W. Bush appears determined to go to war against Saddam Hussein. Is the removal of the despot primarily an issue of his weapons of mass destruction? Or is the main reason to gain access to Iraq's oilfields? The world is facing dramatic and radical changes: the hunt for energy resources is creating new alliances, and new enemies - bringing terrorists into the arena. Why is the US president adopting such a patient, diplomatic strategy towards Stalinist North Korea, which is overtly pursuing a nuclear arms programme and probably already has operational atomic weapons? And why does George W. Bush want to bomb Baghdad into a change of regime, no matter what - could it perhaps be because one country has no oil, whereas the other has huge reserves?

"The Price of Oil Could Rocket"

SPIEGEL interview with Sheikh Jamani about the consequences of a war against Iraq and his pet enemy Saddam Hussein:

"Once the first shot has been fired, no one knows what will happen next. Saddam once said that whoever brought him down and conquered Iraq would no longer find a country with people there, but only one with rocks. Saddam has the nature of a killer. If he doesn't see any other way out, he's quite capable of taking everyone else with him when he dies. Even using chemical and biological weapons. … Let's take the middle scenario: Saddam is deposed within one month, there's heavy fighting and bloodshed, but the oil fields are not destroyed - I think that's the most likely version. In a case like that, the price of oil could rocket from currently 30 to 60 dollars a barrel."

"Bush Wants War Whatever the Cost"

SPIEGEL interview with former United Nations Secretary General Butros Butros Ghali about the chances of preventing an American attack on Iraq and Saddam Hussein's prospects for a safe refuge:

"The lengths they are going to raise doubts about their true motivation. Baghdad has long ceased to pose a threat to its neighbours. … The United States is behaving like the colonial powers used to in the 19th and 20th centuries. … I had hoped that after a certain period of acclimatisation the United States would use the role which it assumed after the end of the Cold War, as the only superpower at the moment, to turn the UN into a strong world instrument to promote progress and basic democratic values. … America is admittedly a functioning democracy, but only inside its own borders."

"Test for Terrorism"

Sidebar to the Series about aerial warfare: The determination of whether the destruction of Guernica was a planned act of aerial terrorism or "collateral" damage has always seemed nearly impossible. Almost all records pertaining to the Legion Condor were destroyed by the end of the war. However, DER SPIEGEL has now had access to documents that a German engineer managed to save privately. They show that the Germans viewed Spain as a sort of gigantic training field and how the Luftwaffe rehearsed the annihilation of cities during the Spanish Civil War.

"The Bigger, the Easier"

Kaliningrad: In former Northeast Prussia, Germans are searching for lost family silver and works of art - helped by a former Russian colonel. The amateur researcher has what they lack: he knows the region, has the logistics and is experienced with Russian authorities.

"Where Does the Music Come From?"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with film director Mike Leigh about improvisation, shooting without a film script, and his latest film "All or Nothing"

"Of course I have certain, as yet vague ideas or images in my mind. But the first, decisive step towards making a new film consists of my hiring a handful of actors. … Everyone has to invent their part themselves. … In this initial phase an actor doesn't even know who else is involved in the project. … I am responsible for making sure that everything maintains a certain balance. … I am a perfectionist in an old-fashioned way, and I hope people can tell that when they see my films. They're all about things like structure, nuance, discipline, form."

"Sumptuous Town made of Plywood"

History: Snail-shaped towers, palatial ships, a magnetic temple with a floating statue - archaeologists have built a replica of the ancient city of Alexandria. The models remind one of a submerged magic world. Scientists have been trying for a long time to find out more about this powerhouse of Hellenism, which was completely destroyed by earthquakes and wars. Beyond the harbour mole, the French are looking for the ruins of the famous lighthouse, while German experts are searching for Alexander's grave. And since last autumn, underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio has been diving in the Eastern Harbour in search of Cleopatra's palace. The latest major feat is that of a professor from Trier. Together with the owner of a special effects studio in Dietzenbach, near Frankfurt, who made trick film models for the feature film "The Never-ending Story", he has built a replica of the magnificent city of antiquity using plywood and casting resin.

"We'll Wipe Them Out"

Part 1 of the series about aerial warfare during World War II: The aerial bombardment by the Allied forces against German cities had a history; long before large-scale area bombing began, German pilots had already reduced towns such as Guernica, Warsaw, Rotterdam and Coventry to rubble - was this the reason for the apocalyptic revenge?

"Smallpox Alarm"

Epidemics: The federal and state authorities in Germany are working through concrete scenarios for a terrorist attack involving the smallpox virus. The draft for a smallpox emergency plan already allows for the vaccination of the members of selected professions. Experts consider such an attack extremely unlikely, but also extremely dangerous. According to the plans, 80 million Germans would have to be vaccinated against smallpox within just five days. A Herculean task, which could only be accomplished if detailed preparations had already been made. But is the threat actually real? Does Germany really have to be prepared for a possible attack with the smallpox virus? Or is the behaviour of the federal and state authorities a case of arbitrary panic-mongering? Experts are agreed about one thing: the consequences of a large-scale attack with the most dangerous of all germs would be absolutely infernal.