“They Are Dreaming of a Caliphate”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with the Kirghiz president Askar Akayev on the advance of the Islamists into Central Asia, the vision of a new silk road and the role of the Russians in the region:

“We and the Kazakhs have always had a more liberal form of Islam than our neighbours, so it is no coincidence that our countries also have more liberal regimes. But the true home of Islamic fundamentalism is directly on our south-western borders. … We are going to set up a united armed force, a kind of regional strike force, in order to be able to stop the Islamists if there is any large-scale aggression. … There is already a Central Asian battalion under the aegis of the United Nations, which is made up of units from Kirghizia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It conducts military exercises every year which Russians and Americans take part in too. … For the small country of Kirghizia it is vital to be a mediator between the East and the West, to trade goods, to get to know Western philosophies. The EU is helping us to construct a railway line through our country, joining Europe and Asia.”

“In the Prophet’s Cauldron”

Central Asia: For a long time they were ridiculed, now they are here. Islamic warriors of God are putting the pressure on Uzbekistan. The riots have already spread to Kirghizia – the liberal oasis in the region.

“Space without People”

Immigration: Chancellor Schröder’s Green Card initiative triggered vehement discussions about immigration. The indigenous population will shrink dramatically in the course of this century, without some intake from abroad the national economy threatens to collapse. But someone has to control who to let in and who not.

“The Peace Process Is Dead”

SPIEGEL interview with Palestinian spokesman Marwan Barghuti on the bloody uprising against Israel:

“The Israeli occupiers must not be given time to catch their breath. Only constant confrontation will wear them down and ultimately bring them to realise that it is impossible to deprive a people of its independence in the long run. … To me at least it is clear that all Jewish settlements must be removed. Otherwise no true peace will be possible. And I am certain that Yassir Arafat has realised that too.”

SPIEGEL interview with Marcel Ospel, board chairman of the Swiss UBS bank, on the stock market crash and the prospects on the financial markets this year.

UMTS: Have the Europeans miscalculated with regard to their investments into mobile phone licences?

“Sabotage in the Lego Construction Kit”

Montenegro: Yugoslav president Kostunica is obliged by his country’s constitution to appoint a prime minister from Montenegro. But the only representatives of that member state in Belgrade are satellites of the dethroned despot Milosevic. Now the future of Yugoslavia hinges on the old comrades.

“Acoustic Fingerprint”

Security: From Bavaria, German engineers are to track down illegal nuclear tests all over the world – using the first infrasonic listening equipment in the services of the United Nations.

“Americans Like Bloodbaths”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with US author Norman Mailer on Bayreuth’s Wagner Festival, the German capital Berlin, the war in the Balkans and the burden of money:

“Bayreuth has a perfect class system. Either you come wearing a dinner jacket, or you belong to the lower ranks. This time I joined the second category. … There is a tendency to political over-correctness which sometimes seems a little exaggerated. For instance I regard the involvement in Kosovo as an absolute disaster. That was one of the stupidest and ugliest wars that has been fought in recent times. … Writing a novel is always an existential experience: you never know what the result will be. That’s why I have enjoyed working in journalism for many years. This kind of work is much better for my nerves.”

“Riddle in the Argon Safe”

Relics: Scientists are to investigate one of the most controversial objects of Christianity, the alleged burial shroud of Jesus, once again. Measurements had revealed it to be a forgery – perhaps prematurely. Over the coming weeks, the Turin Shroud Committee will be deciding who is to investigate what, and when.

“Shady Intentions”

Europe: Despite fireworks at the Biarritz summit, the chances for a reform of the EU’s administrative bodies are not bad.

“Cutlets from the Fourth Floor”

Agriculture: A bold proposal is causing a considerable stir in the Netherlands. Agrarian visionaries are planning to build a multi-storey building for pigs, poultry and mushrooms in the port of Rotterdam. The agricultural minister considers the project ecologically exemplary. The portside colossus is intended as an automated production centre for basic foodstuffs – a plant that operates along industrial lines like a car factory, but that churns out meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit instead. Unprecedented high tech farming is to be introduced here – without fields, without farmers and without any romance, soulless but highly efficient.

“We Must Be Grateful to the Germans”

SPIEGEL interview with the Dutch greenhouse expert Olaf van Kooten on water bombs and Mediterranean tomatoes:

“The sector experienced a dramatic, radical change [as a result of the “water bomb” criticism]. The water bombs have gone from the greenhouses; now we have tasty vine-ripened and cherry tomatoes instead. … As an expert I must say that the way in which tomatoes are grown in the Netherlands is very much cleaner, safer and more environmentally friendly than in the South.

“Robbery at the Ghostly Counter”

Crime: Computer hackers working for the Mafia almost managed to steal two billion marks from the Bank of Sicily. How susceptible are modern banks to cybertheft? Since electronic signals have been racing through computer networks completely automatically, it has become harder and harder to locate and seal leaks before it is too late.

“Heir to the Throne”

Tennis: Since his victory over Pete Sampras in the US Open, Marat Safin is viewed as the frontman of the latest generation of professionals. The 20-year-old Muscovite, who will be playing in Stuttgart next week, is the first Russian athlete who is to be built up as an universal star. He certainly has what it takes.

“Nuclear Physics in Kindergarten”

Medicine: People suffering from the Asperger syndrome juggle like virtuosos with facts and figures, but are social cripples. Now the study of this disorder is to help scientists understand social behaviour.

“There Was No Way Back”

Series: The World in the 21st Century - SPIEGEL in-depth interview with former Nato supreme commander Wesley Clark:

“We cannot afford vacillating diplomacy when dealing with dictators. We cannot threaten to use force and then not use it when necessary. We are obliged to take risks in order to maintain this credibility … We have to assume an age of asymmetric warfare, in which there will be lots of races to be won with respects to arms technology. For example in terms of the most modern air defence, missile defence systems, attacks against a country’s electronic infrastructure or optical weapons systems using lasers. No matter how small a state is, if it is superior in just one of these areas, Nato is in jeopardy. … The Europeans are currently establishing their own intervention troops and should solve smaller, internal European conflicts themselves too. This situation will be rare, however, and so I strongly recommend keeping up the transatlantic teamwork. Because if you give the Americans plausible reasons why a conflict is a threat to their interests you will find enough political agreement.”