Dramaturgie im zeitgenössischen Tanz ist ? positiv gemeint ? ein heißes Eisen. Idealerweise sind Dramaturginnen und Dramaturgen während der Erarbeitung eines Stücks die besten Freunde der Choreografen.
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Criticism of religion is not racism. The term Islamophobia is all about intimidation. Above all, it is intended to silence those Muslims who question the Koran and who demand equality of the sexes. By Pascal Bruckner
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"The Coming Insurrection", an anti-globalization manifesto published anonymously in France and now translated into German has been greeted by two of the Federal Republic's "quality newspapers" with revolutionary zeal. In their hunger to be hip they are blind to the right-wing, anti-modern, inflammatory nature of the pamphlet which is inspired by Heidegger and Carl Schmitt. By Johannes Thumfart
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In September Thilo Sarrazin's bestseller "Germany is Abolishing Itself" blamed the decline of the Federal Republic on immigrants and the "underclass". Now, as Alan Posener points out, the first shots have been fired in the counter-offensive: "The Ministry and the Past" exposes the active role played by the Foreign Ministry in the Holocaust and shows that the last place Germany should seek salvation is in its elites.
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The French president Nikolas Sarkozy has embarked on a programme to deport the Roma. The problem, though, is not the Roma but those who think the Roma are a problem. We need an intellectual revolution - for the recognition of a nomadic tradition that is hundreds of years old. Freedom of movement is a European right! By Andre Glucksmann.
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Reviled as a racist by some, celebrated as a defender of the west by others, Thilo Sarrazin has written a book on the slow death by immigration of the German republic. He must be thrilled that "Germany is doing away with itself" is flying off the shelves; less so that it has been almost uniformly slated by press and politicians alike. For this though, the former SPD finance senator and Bundesbank board member only has himself to blame. By Joachim Güntner
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Update: after the resignation of Christian Wulff, meet Germany's new president. Joachim Gauck was a leading oppositional figure in the GDR. After the fall of the Wall he became the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Files. He talks to Joachim Günther about Ossis and Wessis, opposition, conformism, and the long-term psychological effects of a dictatorial regime.
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Olivier Roy is one of Europe's leading experts on Islam. His new book "Holy Ignorance" is due to be published this autumn. Eren Güvercin talks to him about issues central to the debate about Islam in Europe, from revolutionary milleniarism to Muslim Luthenarianism.
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Hungary swung sharply to the right in its recent elections, in what the new premier Victor Orban called "the great transition". Peter Nadas talks to Jörg Lau about the lack of stability in his country on the eve of its EU presidency, and about the responsibility of the west.
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In Timbuktu, Islamic Africa is rediscovering its written culture. Charlotte Wiedemann travelled to the site of the oldest library south of the Sahara to report on the race for influence over this ancient heritage, played out on a small stage of sand and parchment.
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The Dutch polder model is under threat. The PVV party of Dutch Islam critic Geert Wilders stands a good chance of victory in the next elections, which have been been brought forward to June. In the election campaign the Dutch elite will be hard pushed to steer political debate or discuss key issues in any nuanced way. By Hans Maarten van den Brink
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In a letter to the Nobel Foundation, Herta Müller expresses her support for the nomination of Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace Prize, "because in the face of countless threats from the Chinese regime and great risk to his life, he has fought unerringly for the freedom of the individual."
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Thirty years of superficial reporting by the Western press neglected the build up to the current turmoil in Tehran. Iranians are not risking their lives because of an alleged election fraud last June, but because they have endured thirty years of brutality, humiliation and frustration. By Haideh Daragahi
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To advocate the Swiss minaret ban with the arguments of Anne Applebaum, Henryk Broder and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is to apply to the sort of fundamentalist logic which the west left behind - historically speaking - an amazingly short time ago. If we don't want to return to a pre-1648 world, Gustav Seibt argues, what we need now is two-way tolerance.
photo:hewy
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On November 11, Ehsan Fattahian, a 28-year old Kurdish freedom fighter, was dealt 'sudden death' in a prison in the Kurdish province of Iran. Nobody was present at the execution and no medical certificate was released. The same fate has befallen any number of demonstrators who took part in the protests after the elections, and lays ahead for 12 other political prisoners in jails throughout Iran. By Ahmad Eskandari
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Claus Leggewie and Harald Welzer have written a book about the end of the world as we knew it. Jan Feddersen grills them on climate change and the role of democracy in a political system that has had no new ideas since the fall of the Wall.
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