Iran Nuclear Conflict
Three months after the disputed presidential election, Iran's leadership is more confident than ever. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has provoked the West at the UN General Assembly, while at home the opposition continues to be brutally repressed. There is little hope of progress at the negotiations which begin in Switzerland on Thursday. By Dieter Bednarz and Erich Follath more...
Nailbiting as the Irish Prepare for Lisbon Vote
Europeans are spellbound as they look to Dublin in the run-up to a second referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon and the future of the European Union on Friday. Many believe a "yes" vote will come, but the "no" camp is still formidable and many voters remain undecided. By Marco Evers more...
Turning Junk into Giants
Berlin will hold its annual unification celebration this week. But coming almost 20 years after the Wall fell, this year's festival will be even grander than usual. To highlight the importance of these anniversaries, the city is enlisting the aid of a French street theater troupe that turns junk into massive puppets. By Tobias Becker more...
SPIEGEL Interview with Iran's Chief Nuclear Negotiator
Saeed Jalili, general secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the country's chief nuclear negotiator, talks to SPIEGEL about Iran's nuclear program, the prospects for this week's talks in Geneva and why Iran is not afraid of new sanctions. more...
Beyond the Third Way
Germany's Social Democrats are in crisis. And they are not alone. Across Europe, social democratic parties are struggling to connect with a new generation of voters. What's the problem? By Matt Browne, Ruy Teixiera and John Halpin more...
High Noon in Geneva
Obama wants to engage Iran and discuss the country's nuclear facilities and what it claims are its "nuclear rights." While he is demanding inspections and threatening sanctions, the Group of Six will meet with Iranian diplomats on Thursday in Geneva. One thing is certain: The relationship between Iran and the West is teetering on the brink. By Gregor Peter Schmitz in Washington more...
Berlin Art Fair
The 14th edition of Berlin's annual art fair, Art Forum Berlin, was eagerly awaited by those in the city's thriving art scene. But while there was plenty for excited art lovers to do and see -- some said too much -- the art sales were not quite as thrilling. By Ingeborg Wiensowski more...
Guido Westerwelle for Finance Minister
For decades, Germany's foreign minister has come from the junior coalition partner -- a practice which has led to foreign policy incoherence. Now would be a great time to break with that tradition and give Guido Westerwelle the Finance Ministry, argues Katinka Barysch of the Centre for European Reform. By Katinka Barysch more...
New IMF Forecast
The IMF has revised up its forecast for global economic growth, which should boost the export-oriented German economy. Unemployment in Europe's largest economy fell more than expected in September. But analysts warn that the jobless total will rise sharply in the coming months, despite improving growth. more...
Slamming the Brakes on Lisbon
Backers of the Lisbon Treaty were hoping that a "yes" in Friday's Irish referendum would be the final leverage needed to get Polish and Czech leaders to sign the much-stalled treaty. But now a group of Czech senators are sending the treaty back to the country's Constitutional Court -- for the second time. The move could mean several more months of delays. more...
The World from Berlin
Germany's SPD spent Tuesday reshuffling its leadership following abysmal election results in the Sunday vote. But personnel changes have become more of the rule than the exception in the party. That needs to change, say German commentators. more...
The SPD Shuffle
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Social Democrats' candidate for chancellor in recent elections, has announced that he will not seek the party chairmanship. The SPD leadership has been thrown into chaos after a historic defeat in Sunday's federal election. more...
Russian Weapons Industry
It produces the most popular automatic rifles in the world but the company that makes the Kalashnikov, or AK-47, is in trouble. It has had to deal with a slump in arms exports and competition from the makers of copycat versions around the world. Now a shady businessman has filed bankruptcy proceedings against the company. By Benjamin Bidder more...
Polar Bear Love
Berlin's star polar bear Knut met another polar bear for the first time on Tuesday. And aside from an initial round-house delivered by the visiting Gianna, zookeepers pronounced the date a success. more...
The World From Berlin
Chancellor Angela Merkel has been strengthened by Sunday's election but will face a rougher ride because she will face pressure from within her center-right coalition to pass radical reforms, say commentators. Merkel herself has said, "I will be chancellor of all Germans." more...
Munich Police on Alert
Police have thrown a tight security cordon around the Munich Oktoberfest this week as a precaution following a series of video threats from Islamic militants. But terrorism fears and heightened checks on vehicles, bags and Dirndls aren't spoiling the party, the organizers say. more...
A New Era in International Relations
For four years, Angela Merkel's government was unable to find common ground when it came to many foreign policy issues. Now, armed with a new coalition partner, the chancellor must develop a clear German position on a host of issues. The clock is ticking, argue foreign policy experts. By Ralf Beste more...
Failure on the Far Right
Germany's far-right NPD party saw its support slip to 1.5 percent in Sunday's federal election from 1.6 percent in 2005 as its overtly xenophobic campaign failed to attract new voters. But that won't stop it getting millions of euros in public funding. more...
Election Analysis
Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party has just has its worst national election result since World War II. It has lost support among voter groups that were previously staunch supporters, including young people and blue-collar workers, and has even slipped to third place in eastern Germany. By SPIEGEL Staff more...
Disaster Recovery
After suffering its worst election result in decades, the struggle for the party leadership in Germany's SPD has begun. The Berlin branch is now calling for the old leadership to be replaced -- including former chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier. more...
After Election Debacle
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Social Democratic Party's chancellor candidate in Sunday's parliamentary election, presided over his party's worst election result in postwar history. Now he is expected to lead the SPD in opposition. But whether the mild-mannered former bureaucrat is suited to the job is debatable. By Roland Nelles more...
The Coming Crisis
So far, Germany's auto industry has escaped massive job losses, but major cuts could soon be on the cards. By Moira Herbst more...
SPIEGEL Interview with CDU Floor Leader Volker Kauder
Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union and the business-friendly Free Democrats must now negotiate what could prove to be a difficult partnership. But CDU parliamentary floor leader Volker Kauder, 60, says working with the FDP won't be any harder than governing with the Social Democrats has been. more...
Nuclear Phase Out
For years, Germany has insisted it would shut down all its nuclear reactors by the early 2020s. But now that a re-elected Chancellor Angela Merkel has a new coalition partner, the nuclear lobby is hoping for extended reactor lifetimes and a cash windfall. more...
SPIEGEL Interview with FDP Deputy Rainer Brüderle
The business-friendly Free Democrats are the election's big winners. As the party enters coalition negotiations with Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, Deputy Chairman Rainer Brüderle talks about how strong his party is now and how determined they are to fulfil their campaign promises. more...
Al-Qaida Warnings
In the run-up to Germany's national election, al-Qaida released a series of propaganda videos directly targeted at a German audience. German intelligence agencies are taking the threats seriously -- even if they have so far not uncovered any evidence of concrete attack plans. By Yassin Musharbash, Marcel Rosenbach and Holger Stark more...
SPIEGEL Interview with Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel
After a miserable election result, Germany's Social Democarts are licking their wounds. Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel admits they may have lost touch with their constituency and that they need to redefine social democracy. But, he says, the SPD will not stop fighting. more...
The Trial
Before his death in 1924, Franz Kafka left his papers to Max Brod who rushed them out of Czechoslovakia ahead of the advancing Nazis. Now, the daughter of Brod's late secretary wants to sell them to a German institute. But the legal battle in Israel has become Kafka-esque. By Christoph Schult more...
Coalition Talks
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their new partners, the Free Democrats, could reach a coalition deal by the end of October. But it may not be easy. Tax cuts and burgeoning government debt could slow down the talks. more...
International Reactions
Angela Merkel has been re-elected for another term as Germany's chancellor. SPIEGEL ONLINE has gathered reactions from some of the country's key allies on what a second term will mean for Germany and the rest of the world. By Benjamin Bidder, Gregor Peter Schmitz and Carsten Volkery more...
US Foreign Policy Expert Richard Haass on Afghanistan
Richard Haass, the president of the influential Council on Foreign Relations, talks to SPIEGEL about new approaches to the Afghanistan war, the country's decreasing significance in the war on terror and why Pakistan is more important to American interests. more...
Opinion
Germany's Free Democrats owe their impressive election result on Sunday in part to the political weakness of Christian Democrat Angela Merkel during her first four years as chancellor, which drove voters to the FDP. Voters are hoping that a strong FDP in the government will force Merkel to become a stronger chancellor. By Gabor Steingart more...
