“The End of the World Order”

SPIEGEL interview with government advisor Christian Tomuschat about the possible war with Iraq, the errors of foreign minister Joschka Fischer and the dangerous stance of the United States:

“There may be a right to preventative self-defence in an extreme situation, if the enemy missiles are, so to say, already ready to be launched. Even if Iraq does still have arms hidden away – there’s no sign whatsoever of a concrete threat. … It’s the job of all the Security Council members to check the evidence presented without any prejudice. If nothing concrete is on the table, it’s the duty of every country to reject such a resolution. But if the other 14 nations consider a military strike to be necessary, it will be hard for Germany to exclude itself. … The USA is indeed now claiming the right to take preventative military action without the UN if their security interests are at risk – and this is claimed to include its economic security. We Germans owe a lot to the USA – but if this military doctrine were to become a reality, it would mean the end of the existing world order.”

Report on Germany and Europe and the possible war in Iraq (length and details not yet known)

“Rodeo on a Rocket”

Afghanistan: The foolhardy soldiers worked carelessly, but no officer stopped them. Five people died in an explosives accident in Kabul. Now the German public prosecutor wants to close the case because he is unable to bring charges against those at the top who are responsible.

“Forger's Paradise”

Monetary union: One year after the introduction of the euro, the number of forgeries is growing rapidly. The quality of the legal bank notes is not that wonderful either – sometimes they actually look less real than the fakes.

Report on the arrest in Frankfurt of a Yemeni sheikh believed to be an Al Qaida leader. (length and details not yet known)

Report about the international tobacco industry and cigarette smuggling. (length and details not yet known)

“The Silence of the Lambs”

Central Asia: For eleven years, the leaders of the former Soviet Muslim republics have ruled without interference between the Caspian Sea and Pamir. But now opposition is beginning to make itself felt, and the region is being shaken by terrorist attacks and riots. The presence of the Americans is also adding to the tension.

“We'll Start with Iraq”

SPIEGEL interview with James Woolsey about the American dependence on oil and the threat posed by Saddam Hussein:

“The inspectors are hardly going to find anything if they don’t finally start making use of the powers they have been granted by the UN resolution, namely taking scientists and their families out of the country. It’s going to be hard to find anything just wandering around in Iraq. … There is no prospect of Iraq reforming itself from within – it’s like Nazi Germany – and the problems won’t be solved by waiting for Saddam to die. … In the short term, our fundamental vulnerability lies in the fact that the Saudis are able to decrease or increase the amount of oil they produce very rapidly because they have over half the world-wide swing capacity, a total of four million barrels. This means that the Saudis have a decisive influence on the price of oil. We have to take away the oil weapon from the Middle East.”

“We Have to Stay Hungry”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Helmut Panke, the head of BMW, about the success of the company in times of crisis, his ambitious growth strategy, and the biggest threat to the Bavarian car manufacturer:

“We want to be the best at everything we do. That’s the basic line we are taking in our premium brand strategy. … All the market research agencies are forecasting that up until the year 2010 the premium segments of the car market – from Mini to Rolls Royce – will grow about twice as quickly as the mass-market segment. … Our targets for growth are primarily based on our plans for our own models, with which we expect to open up new market segments. … We want to be represented by a premium model in every class of vehicle. We’ve demonstrated how this works with the Mini in the field of small compact cars. … The biggest threat is to become complacent. We must not lean back and take our current success for granted.

“Messages from a Frozen Hell”

Cover story: When will the climate swing? How was life created? Why do living beings have to age? Scientists are trying to solve riddles such as these under the extreme conditions of the Arctic – an expedition to German polar researchers at the end of the world.

“This Symbol Speaks to the World”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with American star architect Daniel Libeskind about his spectacular design for a new World Trade Center, the half-hearted longing of New Yorkers for heights, and his life as an avowed optimist:

“Of course, an architect could ignore the yearning for heights and only build single-storey houses from now on, but that wouldn’t be realistic and it wouldn’t meet the needs of a cosmopolitan city. Also, many New Yorkers would like a replacement for something which they miss when they look at their city … The ensemble of buildings that I am planning would include the highest building in the world, but the topmost floors won’t house offices, but instead green areas that you can walk around on. This skyscraper is more of an architectural gesture. … The office high-rises will be comparatively low, but of course they’ll be there. This place is after all the historical heart of Manhattan, the centre of this huge combine named New York. … Of course I hope to be involved in the reconstruction. After all, it’s a historic moment, a long adventure. And I’m convinced that everything will work out. It so happens I’m not a cynic or sceptic, but an optimist.”

“The End of the Crackling”

Radio: The virtues of digital radio have been greatly extolled, but so far listeners have remained unimpressed. Now, however, digital radio has been awakened to new life – in the almost forgotten wavebands of short and medium-wave transmissions. A world-wide consortium of electronics companies and radio stations wants to introduce the new radio service this year – under the name of “Digital Radio Mondiale”, or DRM for short. A suitable radio receiver is already available. But the crucial DRM chip which computes the audible sound from the digital signal is not yet cheap enough. The consortium would like the price of the new radios to be no more than 25 euros above that of conventional radios. This will only be possible once the chips are manufactured in large numbers.