Wolfgang Streeck's Critique of the Underlying Issues

In the intellectual landscape of Germany, a notable figure, sociologist Wolfgang Streeck, has found himself at the centre of a storm of controversy. Once established as a critic of capitalism, Streeck's involvement in both left-wing and right-wing circles, including neofascist ones, has raised eyebrows and sparked heated debate.

Streeck's fascination among both left and right-wing groups reflects a broader intellectual crisis within what was once a distinctly left-oriented milieu. This search for new frameworks to understand societal and economic crises beyond traditional ideological boundaries is evident in Streeck's movements between milieus. He is "indifferent" to whether a desire to critically examine the "latest of the new" is "at home on the 'right' or the 'left'".

The newsletter nd.Kompakt provides a daily overview of the most interesting stories from its editorial team, and Streeck's political positioning has been a topic of interest. He has given lectures in think tanks of the New Right, such as the Library of Conservatism, calling for a "conservative revolution" and suggesting taking the social state of the 1970s as a conservative role model.

Streeck's democratic concept of national sovereignty and homogeneity approaches the neo-right ideology from the former social democratic milieu. His interpretation of the Russian attack on Ukraine within a national analytical framework of the geopolitical situation of the 1970s, and his call for a "multipolar world order" with a "non-aligned Europe," have further fueled this controversy.

Critics argue that Streeck's supposed left fighter for the working class has fallen back on regressive natural ideas, with which the authoritarian to fascist strand of neoliberalism legitimizes social inequalities. His perspective on immigration is criticized for reproducing the right-wing narrative of the AfD as a social party, ignoring the tightening of asylum law in Germany and European measures regarding migration.

Moreover, Streeck's texts legitimize cross-front activities, establishing a new main contradiction, claiming that the latest modernity must be returned to a former state via a return to the national. This dichotomizing of nation and globalism has led to Streeck promoting the neo-right transformation of anti-capitalism into anti-liberalism.

The division within the left-wing social democracy is further evident in the unravelling of a milieu previously rooted in this ideology. Disagreements over fundamental questions about Europe and the nation-state, visible regarding Corona and Russia, have caused deep rifts.

Political scientist Karin Priester examined how former "68ers" became New Right figures in the 1990s, influenced by philosophical debates and Martin Heidegger's ideas, as resonated in the magazine "Tumult". Literary and political scientist Jost Müller observed a trend among former 68ers in the 1990s, desiring an "intellectual conversation with an intelligent fascist" due to narcissism and intellectual arrogance.

Reiner Tosstorff discusses the need for a socialist revolution, while Fabian Georgi discusses the possibility of a world without borders in the context of global fortress capitalism. Bernd Riexinger discusses the trust question in France and proposals for a "social antifascism".

As the intellectual landscape continues to evolve, the role of figures like Wolfgang Streeck remains a topic of great debate and importance. His meandering between left-wing, conspiratorial, and openly right-wing milieus, and his confusion of nation with liberation and his transition from anti-capitalism to anti-liberalism, are points of contention.

Streeck's downgrading of the climate crisis from a global survival issue for humanity to a purely moral question, and his rejection of climate protection as a "religion," further complicate matters. As the debate continues, it is clear that Streeck's influence and the intellectual crisis within the left-wing milieu will remain central issues.