Politics

Pacific rivalries
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has alarmed the world with his bellicose stance. But the Korean peninsula is just one of many flashpoints in the region. Theo Sommer asks if Europe’s war-torn past is the template for Asia’s future?

Problem child
Hungary has abandoned the democratic and constitutional values on which Europe is based. Keno Verseck dissects why the transition from communism failed, and where the country might end up under Prime Minister Victor Orbán.

Leaving Kunduz
The Bundeswehr is preparing to withdraw its equipment from Afghanistan. But some German troops will remain even after ISAF’s security mission ends in 2014, explains Eric Chauvistré.

Business

The German way
Even President Barack Obama has praised the German economic model. But how has the country achieved such a high level of performance? Steven Hill’s answer: “It’s the mittelstand, stupid.”

Cyprus model
Europe has tended to save its troubled banks. But the Cypriot crisis could be a game changer. Hannes Koch asks whether European savers outside the Mediterranean island could also be “bailed in” to rescue failed financial institutions.

Talking trade
Emanuele Gatti is president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Germany. Ahead of the German-Italian Economic Forum in Frankfurt on June 18, he talked to German Times Executive Editor Theo Sommer about business ties between the two countries in a European context.

Life

Grand old party
German Social Democracy is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Lutz Lichtenberger looks at the history of the SPD, a party that has repeatedly triumphed over adversity.

Post-war saint
Albert Schweitzer was the ultimate role model for many young people in post-war Germany. Caroline Fetscher recalls the doctor, theologian and philosopher, who founded his jungle hospital in Lambaréné, 100 years ago.

Municipal gem
Munich’s Lenbachhaus is famous for its extensive “Blauer Reiter” collection. After three years of renovation, the museum is reopening with a new extension by Richard Foster. But not everyone is impressed, Franz Kotteder has found.