TΛVΛR
This was my last, longer comment about her (party).
While it would be absurd for a Socialist to mistake her for a comrade, your scepticism towards her “problematization” (especially by liberals) is very warranted.
It depends on who you compare her to. 30 years ago, she was a Socialist, compared to that modern day Wagenknecht is very bad.
However if you compare her party to the German Bundestag, then 99+/-1% are more “problematic”. As an example: for the longest time her new party stood alone in the parliament in opposing weapons exports that facilitate an active genocide (her old left party recently managed to overcome internal resistance and silently join her in that conclusion, though I wonder if its members know).
I share and understand the frustration comrades have with some of her stances / rhetoric, but if you view imperialism or more specifically hyper-imperialism (as tricontinental calls it) as the main contradiction of our time - which I do - then both become clear: why she is in no way among the most “problematic” and also why she is constantly made out to be by the transatlantic media
So yeah a comrades criticism of her is very valid (as I guess they don’t support any other party in the parliament either), a liberals is - as always - massively hypocritical
that article
I thought you might have meant that, I just recalled the 3 sources and seem to have forgotten about the 3 components. I will repent and re-read.
I wholeheartedly support everything you say! The rest of this comment will be me agreeing with you. While that may be boring I want to express that it is not insignificant to me as where I live (a somewhat provincial city in Germany) it is next to impossible to find any reasonable opinions on geopolitics from people interested in it (aside from some people into who’s understanding I have put significant effort in).
The word Geopolitics now is just an easy way to say “what’s happening in the world and why” and I don’t see any reason we can’t use it our own way
Absolutely. Before I took it out, I’ve had a paragraph in my second comment saying the exact same thing!
I also use geopolitics instead of imperialism exactly not to scare off people too quickly
A totally valid strategy, I do the same! The need to resolve contradictions in geopolitics (and the reporting on it) was what eventually led me to adopt a Marxist analysis why should it not work for others!?
On a side note: In Germany it is an incredibly long journey to arrive at one (has been for me at least).
I think one reason are the relatively okay material conditions many people find themselves in compared to other countries (in Europe but certainly the US). But I believe an important reason is that a Marxist perspective has been purged so effectively from public thought here (“Radikalenerlasse”, “Congress for cultural freedom”, transatlantic networks, etc.), which I believe one can link back to the importance of Germany in the cold war / capitalist Imperialist project. I believe (and hope) the situation is improving with English-speaking content becoming more prevalent on social media but it is often a long and lonely road, hence my appreciation for the sanity expressed in your opinions!
Or they suddenly start talking about the ‘globalists’ out of nowhere
Omfg, yes! It is frustrating as hell to finally see dissidence in public opinion and then realize it is channeled into this pit of inconsistent thought. Unfortunately such “globalist” commentators are much more prevalent when one first diverges from the mainstream liberal opinion. For what its worth the WEF is, of course, an institution worthy of opposition but it is a consequence of the problem and without it nothing fundamental would change.
It is so glaringly obvious how desperately people are in need of a critique of capital.
But what about a stronger NATO …
This whole paragraph is on point and it again points to how people lack the holistic approach that a dialectic approach provides.
It’s funny you mention Trots […] “what about the proletariat in both countries?”
I appreciate the tip of the hat to my Trot comment, lol. For what its worth: I agree. The problem this seems to be indicative of might be an inability to perceive remaining contradictions or an unwillingness to tackle them? The understanding of Marxism as a scientific approach and historical materialism as a progression that cannot be stopped at the turn of the 20th century. In that sense it is the same mistake that people stopping at “globalists are the root cause” are making, only that they happened to stumble across Marx. I have yet to read Mao on contradictions / reaction within the people, I am curious in his analysis in this regard though, I know I have a long way ahead of me too.
Having had these experiences I understand your desire of reaching more people outside of Marxist thought and I totally agree. Historically I’ve found myself, instinctively, wishing and working for a broad understanding basically with everybody I meet, being cautious to alienate nobody basically rallying for the biggest consensus possible for any specific strategic issue (From a US perspective this certainly sounds ridiculous, I hope you understand what I am trying to say). However this always kept me on the back foot and after the issue was resolved or faded into irrelevancy nothing remained to build on.
So increasingly I wonder if an “inwards” turn, an appeal to leftists (not necessarily Marxists yet) primarily is something more effective. Similarly to how Lenin made out the peasantry as the most likely ally of the proletariat, I wonder who the most probable allies are nowadays in Germany. Undoubtedly they must then be the main target of “communist propaganda”, accepting that other groups might not relate and react with scorn and reaction.
Initially I added a couple paragraphs about my strategic speculations, but that is a huge digression so I saved them elsewhere. I guess I just really had to spell out my thoughts out on this.
But well, I’m still finding my voice and who exactly I’m writing for. But I can’t imagine a world where it’s better to have fewer anti-imperialist writers.
For sure! Best of luck in your endeavors, comrade!:) I’ll see to it that I follow your development
6 weeks? They held the trifecta for 2 years! From 01/09 to 01/11.
If you give the Dems a supermajority even more Senators will have “health problems” for way longer
Look, I know my instance gives it away, but from Marxist to self proclaimed angry commie: You are dead wrong comrade.
Dems under Obama didn’t not do anything bc of “enough Senators with health problems” but because they are beholden to their bourgeoise donors. In essence they are a party representing the bourgeoisie who only occasionally throw you a bone when they are pressured to do so
And you pressure them not by voting harder for them but by doing political work outside of both parties.
The harder you vote blue, the less they’ll do for you!
A bit oversimplified but I like the ring of it so I’ll run with it.
Fuck. I feel sick
lol I just realized it was them that brought up the term in the conversation. In their defense it says in your substack description "I write about geopolitics,… " so maybe that’s where they got it from. But I agree calling you a “geopolitical analyst” was putting words in your mouth for the purpose of slander.
Not defending the statement, but someone else pointed out, that it was made in 2010 though, hopefully some of them have grown since then
Thanks comrade! I have some disagreement about your strong admonition. We are talking about the only party plausibly in the next Bundestag that’s demanding a stop of weapons exports to ultraright genociders - thats gotta be worth something.
Be sure that I agree with you that some of her statements border a reactionary de-legitimization of gender struggles and I oppose that.
But some of what queer.de writes here I can’t follow. For example: They claim Wagenknecht is shifting blame for rising inequality onto queer people and the single source they give is this quote of hers:
Open-mindedness, anti-racism and the protection of minorities are the feel-good labels used to conceal rude redistribution from the bottom to the top and give their beneficiaries a clear conscience. And they are not contradictory: marriage for all and social advancement for the few, quotas for women on supervisory boards and low wages in areas where women work in particular, state-paid anti-discrimination officers and a state-induced increase in child poverty in immigrant families.
In my opinion their interpretation is completely unfounded, to me that quote sounds like an accurate critique of pink-washing reading into it that queer people are to blame for inequality seems a bit disingenuous. It seems like the authors have a gripe with Wagenknecht. That’s understandable, she never explicitly speaks out for queer people (to my knowledge) and only every decries the discourse as a “distraction”, I understand being pissed at that.
But a continued existence of this party only ends one way
What way is that? I can’t see that even “their continued existence” would end in some kind of purges?! I don’t look at it without concern but I believe the continued existence of her party is a good thing!
A part of it is because I have finally lost faith in the only party I ever supported “die Linke”. With their uselessness in opposing reactionary wars, from an anti-imperialist perspective, they have outlived themselves. Not only that they refuse to take part in leftist peace protest about Ukraine, when Israel began the hot-phase of their genocide the position of “die Linke” was terrible, I get that you have to condemn Hamas as a German party, but going on and on about them wanting to instate a Islamist dictatorship was proactively clouding the real cause for war and was playing Israels fiddle of necessitating the extermination of Hamas by all means. Eventually they were just about able to adopt a cease-fire position, against huge inner-party opposition, but AFAIK until this day they never demanded the end of weapons export to Israel. While at the same time they are demanding the gov to pressure Qatar to end their support of Palestinian resistance. Jan Korte, one of their members of parliament, is even demanding the gov to pressure egypt to open their borders to, de-facto, finally facilitate Israels plan of ethnic cleansing: https://www.fr.de/politik/linke-kritisiert-regierung-wegen-untaetigkeit-92741296.html
And on a personal level: I am involved in ceasefire protests. We contacted “die Linke” from the very beginning, they nervously refused everytime - even when we were still strategically moderate. Fuck that, if I have to have a liberal, at least I want one with a backbone and an anti-genocide stance.
As I have laid out elsewhere, Germany, and the EU as a whole, has taken a path of doubling down on war with Russia and from what I have seen these last years “die Linke” won’t do shit about it, to me they are now just over the verge of being appropriated by imperialist forces. BSW, and Wagenknecht/Lafontaine in particular, are the only ones with a credible/longstanding anti-war stance and as an anti-Imperialist on that front they have more to show than any other party.
Sorry if I got a bit emotional, I used to feel connected to “die Linke” and I am disappointed.