Aktham Suliman

DW-WORLD: How is Germany doing in your opinion?

Aktham Suliman: Much better than many Germans think, certainly as seen from the outside. Then again five million unemployed seems shocking -- something very hard to believe, not only within Germany. But those people with no job are still much better off than many people elsewhere in the world.

What needs to happen in Germany to help speed up the country's recovery?

The political class needs to be more concrete and honest in naming the problems. It is not credible to promise the elimination of unemployment. But the promise to make a determined effort to deal with the problem is. From a societal point of view, peoples' identity is too strongly defined by their jobs. If you have a job, you are someone, if you have no job you count for nothing, it seems. People have to start thinking of how to live and live well despite being unemployed. In Syria unemployment is at least 20 to 30 percent and this is bad enough economically. Yet, people there do not let this fact deprive themselves of the ability to be happy. I am not saying Germany should convert to a form of traditional society, buy I wonder whether this country could do well adopting some of the aspects of more traditional societies.

Schröder or Merkel? Who is your personal choice for chancellor? Why?

Probably Schröder. Much has been said about the government's handling of the economy but one also has to acknowledge what the present government has accomplished with their foreign policy. Today Germany is a safer place than the US and Britain by virtue of a wise foreign and security policy. I think one really has to see this point. On the domestic side, I also think the reform of the citizenship law is very laudable, in particular the removal of this dreadful, longstanding reference to "blood" in defining who is German.

What do you like about Germany?

That it works! If you have a problem, you know there's a law to fix it. The rule of law is a tremendous achievement and this country has a constitution to be really proud of.

What do you dislike about Germany?

The weather -- but also the social weather. People don't laugh a lot. I heard someone say that in Germany everyone feels like it is five minutes before 12. In Italy in contrast the situation feels more like five minutes after 12, but no one cares anyway. See that's the point. Everything is so serious here.