Doug Henwood wrote:
> So how big a force, numerically, are these characters? And how do they wield so much influence?
I'd say their numbers are tiny and their influence has waned considerably since the wars against Gaza and Lebanon.
They really reached the zenith of their influence around 2002-2004, and haven't recovered since. In fact, I'd argue that "Anti-Germans" don't even exist as a distinct tendency in the left anymore, so thoroughly did they manage to discredit themselves. Many of the hardcore protagonists either became outright neo-conservatives, or apolitical cynics. Most of the softcores abandoned the perspective entirely in favor of a broader anti-nationalism.
But it's left behind a residue of individuals and institutions with a weird tick about Israel. So for a example a leftist magazine like Konkret, which is actually a pretty good magazine in general and on most issues, publishes awful, awful stuff about the Middle East. The contrast is jarring for leftists coming from any other country on the planet, but it produces no cognitive dissonance whatsoever for the protagonists in question.
I think the reason Laika Verlag is being harassed is because Jungle World, a newspaper where they have some editorial influence, is one of the main sponsors of the Book Fair. Jungle World used to be a fairly readable anti-authoritarian weekly with very diverse perspectives. These days I find it's hardly more radical than The Nation.
Honestly, the Buchtage program this years looks kind of boring, so I don't have much of a problem boycotting it...