"We Will Beat All of Them, Every One"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi about his interim government's struggle against Shia militias, Al Qaida terrorists and Saddam loyalists, about the mistakes made by the Americans and the dangers for the entire Middle East:

"We are gradually getting the security situation under control, and we have started rebuilding the institutions, such as the judiciary; crime is on the decline. The number of terrorist attacks is also decreasing, however the extent of their brutality is becoming more severe. ... We have no problems with our neighbours. We want to consolidate our democratic system here in Iraq. We share common interests with the countries in this region. But if anyone should take a different stance towards us or interfere in our internal affairs, then our attitude will change too."

"A Crown for the Traitor"

Middle East: Palestinians who act as informers for Israel risk losing their lives. Nevertheless thousands of collaborators have already allowed themselves to be enlisted, and have subsequently received a new identity. Two former informers report on how they have survived - so far. Since the beginning of occupation in 1967, tens of thousands of Palestinians have collaborated with the Israelis, and even today an army of informers supplies Israel with the information it badly needs for its fight against terrorist militias. Many of them are apparently coerced into collaborating. More than 90 suspected informers have been put to death over the past three years, some of them even hung from lampposts as a deterrent. The intelligence service selects very carefully who to admit to Israel, and who not. Many former informers have to fight for admission into the protection programme - and thus for recognition as a collaborator.

"Jump on the Dragon"

Globalisation: China exerts an enormous attraction on German businesses. The big corporations have already been there for some time, now more and more small and medium-sized businesses are taking the plunge into the legendary huge market - and some don't know what's hit them. The eagerness with which the Chinese imitate things is not the only problem that German investors have to struggle with in China. Many complain about the uncertain legal situation, corrupt officials and bureaucratic impediments: for example, a total of 360 planning and building permission certificates were necessary for the new German Centre. Many companies that started out with a lot of energy have been bitterly disappointed, and nowhere near all of them are making money. Some that used to be almost alone on the market are in the meantime facing fierce competition. But the most unpleasant problem that companies currently face in China is the shortage in the power supply. What has even more serious consequences though is that, in the global research centre in Beijing, 400 engineers are working on the mobile phone of the future; the models they design there already account for almost a third of Siemens's world-wide mobile phone sales. And that's just the beginning. By the end of next year the group intends to treble the number of engineers in Beijing. This reveals a new, threatening dimension of the globalisation process: the good jobs follow the bad ones.

"Summer, Sunshine and New Teeth"

Eastern Europe: The latest EU members are luring German medical tourists, who enjoy their rock-bottom prices and good service. Fears about the German health reform are boosting the business. More than 150 specialists are courting well-off patients from the west - with prices that are up to two thirds lower than in Germany. The statutory health insurance companies are cutting back on the benefits for which they are prepared to pay and covering the full cost of fewer and fewer treatments, so for many patients a trip to Eastern Europe for surgery is financially worthwhile. Although German doctors are warning against quacks and cheap bunglers, not a single case has yet come to light in which Germans have been cheated while receiving surgery in Eastern Europe and are now suing for medical malpractice. However, patients cannot make warranty claims at home, and if necessary might even have return to their Hungarian doctor. German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt is very much in favour of such medical tourism. If one country has excess capacity, she says, then it makes sense to swap patients.

"Mallorca Attacks"

Tourism: The white-collar thriller about the TUI group is heading for a new climax. Spanish hotel owners want to gain control of the holiday giant. Over recent months a string of new names has been brought up as candidates for taking over the largest European tour operator. Insiders of the industry report that a group of financially strong Spanish hotel operators has got in touch with West-LB, which still holds almost a one-third stake in TUI, wanting to buy the bank's shares. The Spaniards have long been upset by the fact that major operators such as TUI and Thomas Cooke have recently started sending their customers to low-cost countries like Egypt and Turkey. By gaining some control of TUI they would be able to redirect the flow of German holidaymakers to their own country, or to newly developed destinations such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Whether Germany's number one tourism giant will soon be managed from Madrid or Mallorca is now for Thomas Fischer, the head of West-LB, to decide.

"Tender Greetings from the Zebra"

Bayreuth Festival: A farce is being enacted on Wagner Hill. "Parsifal" singer Endrik Wottrich is storming at Christoph Schlingensief - who sees the surprise success of his Bayreuth debut as being belatedly denigrated. Wottrich's tirade against Schlingensief is amusing, angering and confusing the Wagner community - and this is surprising, since wonderful harmony had suddenly appeared to reign on Bayreuth Hill after the "Parsifal" premiere some three weeks ago. Director Schlingensief does not want to respond to Wottrich's attacks. Schlingensief's lawyer and the legal advisors to Wolfgang Wagner argued last week over whether the director should even be allowed to attend the last two "Parsifal" performances of the season. He was already denied access to the stage during the previous performances -the artist Wottrich would otherwise not have been able to sing undisturbed.

"The Music of Snow"

Cinematography: The New York film director Jim Jarmusch was once considered a hero of independent US film-making, and then seen as a caricature of the author-director. Now he has made "Coffee and Cigarettes" - a film about the inconspicuous, unremarkable moments in life: breaks. The conversations have no beginning and no end, often not even any recognisable point; time passes by sluggishly. Jarmusch worked on his film for 17 years; that too seems somewhat puzzling when you see the result. He says he doesn't feel like using films to comment on political events. "I want to make films about ideas. Who cares who was the most influential politician in Bach's day? No one gives a shit. But Bach's music is alive."

"Criminal Poets Club"

Marketing: A new law is to prevent criminal offenders from making money on their stories - so that crime no longer pays. A corresponding legislative initiative by the state of Thuringia has the support of the justice ministers for all the federal German states. Six years ago, legislators tried for the first time to limit the business being conducted from within prison walls. Since then, victims have had better access to the proceeds - however only to the extent that they have been awarded compensation or damages by a civil court of law. Some criminals make money on several fronts: not just through interviews and books, but also through film, radio and television rights. On the other hand, without the fees paid for such interviews, many offenders would have to rely on a defence counsel appointed by the court and could not afford the services of an expensive specialist.