"They also stand for cultural conservatism and stability, constituting a “power to protect slowness”, in the words of Franz Walter, a political analyst."

Ahn now I understand what's going in Southern Afghanistan. The Germans are coming. Just give them a little time!

"Yes, Berlin is poor and sexy. If it weren't for the cheap rents and the low costs, Berlin would merely be a big but average german city. It's sexy because a lot of young people who just can't afford living in Hamburg/Munich/Cologne (no one want's to live in Düsseldorf) choose to live in Berlin. That's Berlins biggest resource. Turn that city into an expensive place like London and you'll have a rich but boring place like Wiesbaden."

Hmmm. I know little about Berlin but I don't think I can agree. I live in London, which is expensive as hell as you say - but is decidedly not 'rich but boring'! Manhattan is rich but not boring nor is Paris. As a cultural capital I think Berlin shares more in common with these cities than someplace like Weisbaden.

Nevertheless New York and London are not quite what they once were. You can read about the halycon days of the 60's in Greenich villiage and Chelsea, with all the brilliant young (and poor) artists. Poor artists don't tend to live in those places any more - they are now quite posh. The *new* Bob Dylans don't live there - stockbrokers cutting a figure or media types are more like it. Old factory cities like Newcastle and Antwerp seem to draw quite a few artists whereas they would once have been avoided like the plague. Cheap factory lofts and large ports are the big draw I think.

Nevertheless I fundamentally disagree with you're premise. As Berlin ages and grows rich it is unlikely to morph into another Frankfurt or Weisbaden. New York is more like it, I think....

Zyme,

At a superficial level the fiscal crisis in Berlin today resembles the mid-70's fiscal crisis in New York. There are major differences of course, the most obvious one being that Manhattan was and is the centre of the US financial industry and therefore potentially a generator of great wealth. I'm not sure what Berlin's biggest money-spinners are but surely one cannot compare it to Washington, D.C? Berlin seems from a distance to be potentially Germany's major media centre and perhaps an arts centre - as New York, Paris, and London are for other countries.

So what other city can Berlin be compared with? Surely it's not like Rome. Perhaps a bit like Prague but that is not predictive? The best comparison seems to me to be that it's like New York or London but minus the vibrant financial sectors in those cities. But increasingly important in government. For now. Who knows what it may become?

But what do I know? Not much....