| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on May 16, 2013, 06:11 PM CET |
| BIEDERMEIER REDUX How Merkel Has Paralyzed German Politics During her eight years as chancellor, Angela Merkel has skillfully lulled Germans to sleep and used feel-good policies to switch their focus from politics to personal comfort. By starving Germany's democracy of vibrancy, "Mommy Merkel" has caused it to wither. |
| NAZI SLOGANS Has Berlin's Gentrification Feud Gone too Far? It may have begun as a joke, but with the adoption of slogans used by the Nazis, an ongoing feud pitting long-time Berliners against newer residents from southern Germany may have crossed a line. |
| GROUNDED Berlin Airport Fiasco Threatens High-Tech Park Not long ago Berlin's future looked bright, with a state-of-the-art airport and a new high-tech park set to open where the old Tegel airport now stands. Now, delays to the former may torpedo the latter, particularly now that there are plans afoot to keep Tegel operational for years to come. |
| POLITICAL CONSPIRACY THEORIES Angela Merkel Is No KGB 'Sleeper Agent' Ever wondered what Angela Merkel had in mind with her decision to phase out nuclear energy? Dependency on Russian energy, if you believe some prominent conspiracy theorists. They'd like you to believe the German chancellor is some kind of KGB "sleeper agent" installed by Moscow at the end of the Cold War. |
| READING, WRITING, ALGORITHMS Should IT Classes Be Required? Education experts in Germany are pushing to modernize the country's basic curriculum by making instruction in computer science mandatory. But opponents say it doesn't deserve the same status as subjects like math, Latin and biology. |
| BANGLADESH SEAMSTRESS 'I Had No Choice but to Go to Work' A survivor of the recent factory building collapse in Bangladesh describes the day of the tragedy and the constant pressure to work faster under horrible conditions. Her story provides a glimpse at the difficult and impoverished lives of those who produce inexpensive clothing for the West. |
| 'RED LINE' The Words That Could Force Obama into War President Obama, usually cautious, has made bold statements on Syria and Iran, but by drawing red lines, he risks being backed into a corner. He could take a lesson from Teddy Roosevelt when it comes to foreign policy. |
| WORLD FROM BERLIN 'Austerity Is Making European Economy Sicker' The European common currency zone has now been in recession for six straight quarters, with three of the bloc's four largest economies now suffering persistent negative growth. Could the Continent's pursuit of austerity be backfiring? German commentators believe the answer is yes. |
| EUROPEAN ESCAPE Idyllic Islands You've Never Heard Of They are beautiful, secluded and sometimes bizarre: Europe's smallest, least-known islands have their own unique charm. Some can only be reached by mail boat. Another asks that all visitors arrive in the nude. |
| PICTURE THIS Cosmo Chameleon |
