C. G. Estabrook quoted Norman Finkelstein
> Conjuring Conspiracies or Breaking Taboos?
> A reply to my critics in Germany
> by Norman G. Finkelstein
>
> First published in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, September 9, 2000
> [snipped]
> Herbert makes many other problematic assertions. He claims that without
> outside pressures, Germany wouldn't have compensated slave-laborers. It
> seems he underestimates the SPD-Green coalition's sense of historic
> responsibility.
This kind of reasoning makes it difficult to invoke Finkelstein as a witness against the present German government. As I have said before the compensation for slave-laboureres does not have to do with any kind of 'historic responsibility', but is just a simple cost-benefit analysis: It is mainly a PR-show for the promotion of German goods in the US. Furthermore it is a an insurance against any legal action by former slave laboureres against German firms.
The agreed amount of 10bn Marks is ridicoulos. The recent auction of the UMTS mobile licenese brought ten times that amount. Economic estimates put the benefits of slave labour at about 50 times of that amount.
When the Red-Green government invoked German 'historic responsibility' they did so to justify bombing Yugoslavia.
At the end of the day Finkelstein has the same result as Goldhagen had: white-washing the present German ruling classes.
Johannes