"And Now, a Good Death"

Nazi criminals: An alleged Nazi perpetrator has to stand trial in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He lived in Germany for years without being prosecuted - thanks to a Führer's decree. It guaranteed foreigners who enlisted in Hitler's organisations German citizenship. And Germans can not be extradited.

"We Have to be More Innovative"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with the head of Procter & Gamble, Alan G. Lafley, 56, about the almost religious foundations of brand icons such as Pampers or Ariel, his interest in the Nivea manufacturer Beiersdorf, and why German customers require 81 different types of toilet paper:

"Procter & Gamble has never in its company history carried out a hostile take-over. What we buy really has to be up for sale. ... We believe in the brands. Brands are our promise. Through them we serve women and their families world-wide. A very Japanese approach. ... Procter & Gamble is 166 years old now. We develop, test and modify our products with the greatest care, because we think long-term and are not obsessed by current quarterly results. ... What's clear is that global brands carry a risk. You have to watch out very carefully there."

"A Threatened Atlantis"

SPIEGEL cover story: A populist rebellion is sweeping through the sunny state of California. Outraged voters, worried about their affluence, want to drive out the governor. Many are hoping to receive help from a strong man, and place their hopes in the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Governor Gray Davis is a good example of how little protection experience offers against incompetence and disastrous mistakes. And California, which already elected the actor Ronald Reagan into the office of governor back in 1966, seems by no means adverse to another experiment this year. But the hour of the amateur would not be about to strike if it were not for this fever which has gripped California and won't let it go again. It is primarily raging in the white middle classes of the suburbs, away from the Pacific coast. It is directed against the entire political class of the country, and against the crisis that refuses to go away.

"Why Did I Get Saddled with this Case?"

Justice: The death of the asylum seeker Aamir Ageeb on board a Lufthansa aircraft in May 1999 radically changed the German methods of deportation. But the legal case itself is stuck in a rut, at a district court headed by an overworked judge. A failure of the state. Three members of the Federal Border Guard tied up Ageeb, who had gone berserk, using eleven plastic fetters, four Velcro strips and a rope, before forcing his thorax against his thighs. The public prosecutor accuses the men of manslaughter through culpable negligence, although their dismay after landing in Munich does at least suggest that they never expected the outcome. Because they could not have expected it? Because they had never heard of such a thing as positional asphyxia from their superiors? But what if the investigators had not focused on the possible error on the part of the three policemen? If they had suspected an error in their training, the men's superiors would have been on trial, since they would be responsible for gaps in the men's training. The victim's family is poor, it is at a loss what to do, and it does not understand Germany.

"Slaves of the Foreigners"

Iraq: America wants to attract international corporations to the Tigris by radically opening up the Iraqi economy. The people of Iraq are worried about a sell-out of their country. It is already clear that it will primarily be large American companies that will profit - groups such as Halliburton, a supplier for the petroleum industry, or the construction company Bechtel - in other words companies which have already been given contracts for lucrative deals, in some cases without a public invitation to tender, because of their excellent relations with the Republicans governing in Washington. The lack of transparency in the way in which million-dollar contracts are awarded has also put off the Europeans, and explains their restraint towards Paul Bremer's "great vision".

"Mutiny against the Helmsman"

Companies: The US coffee house chain Starbucks wants to conquer the world. But at home, resistance is growing against the expansion methods and the omnipresence of the company.

"Traitors and Patriots"

Israel: The pilots of the Israeli air force are the pride of the nation - and are now splitting it. Since 27 of them have refused to fly attacks in the Palestinian areas, and have been supported in their position by intellectuals, the country is bitterly quarrelling about the justice and injustice of occupation rule.

"Return of the Reactors"

Nuclear power: Is atomic energy experiencing a renaissance? All over the world, new nuclear power stations are currently being built or planned. According to the nuclear lobby, the next generation of atomic piles will be cleaner and safer than their predecessors. But experts believe that they will be totally uneconomical to run. Why this change in policy? Have the children with leukaemia from Chernobyl already been forgotten? Does the increasing number of reactors not increase the risk that more and more countries will be able to develop nuclear weapons? And what will happen to the ever-growing mountains of radioactive waste? Nuclear power fits the political landscape once again.

"We Need Agitators"

SPIEGEL interview with the successful Russian writer Ludmila Ulitzkaya about female and male lies, the end of state censorship and the deep-rooted yearning for a tsar:

"The literary archetype of the male liar is Odysseus, who lied to and deceived the whole world, men and women alike. The archetypal female liar is his wife Penelope, who wove a shroud for her father-in-law Laertes by day, and undid her work again by night to stall her suitors. That was a form of deception and lie too, with the aim of remaining true to her husband. ... I think we are just at the beginning of this development in which women are simply taking their place in art, in science, in literature. If the human race survives the next few centuries, the positions of men and women will become more and more alike in all areas. ... Concerning political censorship, I am unfortunately almost certain that it will soon be back. It's already clearly in evidence again in the mass media, in the print and television media. I think that will happen soon by command. ... As I perceive it, the state is becoming stronger and stronger in Russia, and society is becoming weaker and weaker. This imbalance worries me a great deal."

"Lies Take Too Much Energy"

SPIEGEL interview with French actress Juliette Binoche, 39, about her part in the romantic comedy "Jet Lag", her aversion to marriage, and the futility of giving advice about relationships:

"To me amorous relationships are a big mystery, everyone has to find their own solutions. But to my mind marriage has nothing to do with love. ... You're in the role of a dancer who is worried about overbalancing and terrified of falling down. And having to keep that balance again and again is what is so exciting about my job. Just finding the point, the extent to which you can go."

"Musil is Our Household Saint"

SPIEGEL interview with journalist Karl Corino, 60, about his obsessive relationship with the Austrian writer Robert Musil (1880-1942) and his recently completed 2000-page Musil biography:

"The relationship between Thomas Mann and Musil bears tragic features. Musil always arrived a bit too late. ... I felt the historic injustice against Musil very strongly, and that was certainly also an impetus for my work. ... I was, for instance, always fascinated by Musil's graphic imagery. ... I worked on the book largely in my basement, and my wife would sometimes come to the top of the stairs and call down: 'Is he dead at last?' For a long time I had to reply: 'No, he's still in his death throes'".