- I’ve gained a relatively unique perspective on these events because I have lived in both Athens and Moscow within the past ten years. I can’t claim to be a renowned expert on the culture of either country, but I’ve seen enough to understand the cultural and political similarities. Much attention is now being paid to Greece’s emerging status as an important pawn in the West-vs-Russia struggle, and how Greece can manipulate the voting process for further anti-Putin sanctions as a negotiating tactic. Everyone is talking about what Greece stands to lose if they leave the Euro. But I don’t think sufficient focus has been made toward what they can gain by tilting toward the Russian sphere of influence, or how much their negotiations are influenced by historical experience. I am of the opinion that Ukraine is the opening skirmish of what will eventually be known as the Second Cold War, and that Greece is about to become an even more important place on the global chessboard.
That sounds like and interesting read.I should point out that the Greeks are far from blameless in their current predicament. If you want to understand the extent to which every single Greek - from their head of state down to dear old Mrs Papadopoulos down the street - willfully took part in the systemic fleecing of the Euro economy through tax evasion, financial chicanery and outright fraud, then I can’t recommend a better summary than what you’ll find in Michael Lewis’ excellent book Boomerang. Ken Lay, the disgraced and deceased CEO of Enron, is probably looking up from whichever corner of hell he currently is, and burning (heh) with envy at the sheer magnitude of the scam that has been perpetuated since Greece entered the Eurozone in 2001.
I'm looking forward to the next installation. I'll post it here and shout-out, if you'd like. I enjoy his writing style and if he's correct in assuming the domino effect that this will have, it is absolutely worth reading about.Glezos is a classic fire-breathing leftist, and now a member of the European parliament who recently won his seat with the highest margin of any candidate elected from Greece. He first achieved the status of national hero in May 1941 when the German army rolled into Athens. Glezos risked execution to climb onto the Acropolis in the dark of night and tear down the Nazi flag that had been placed atop the monument, inspiring millions and motivating the Greek resistance for years to come. Over the next few years he was captured three times and sentenced to death on three occasions. He escaped death - many, including his brother, faced German firing squads.
Honestly, this piece is incredibly entertaining from a tangential standpoint. For example Glezos.
I would say that bit about WWII has some pretty revisionist history in it, although it's not surprising to see revisionist history in times when people are feeling so full of despair. The British didn't precipitate the Greek civil war, snipers on the Acropolis or not. The partisans were funded and supplied by Tito after WWII ended, to the liking of nobody, including Stalin. If any single entity is to blame for that tragedy it is the government of Yugoslavia (support for Greek communists was one of the major factors that led to the falling out between Stalin and Tito). It is disingenuous and a misreading of history to blame the British for the Golden Dawn. I suppose it could be argued that Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin had no business deciding in whose sphere of influence Greece lay, but the Greek people lucked out that Stalin decided not to challenge Churchill on Greece, the only country in the East to be afforded such fortune (but then, to argue this point is to argue about the role of Great Powers in general, not Greece specifically). If the standard of living in Greece is low by Western European standards, they need only to look to any of the European countries they border to figure out how bad it could have been.
The Planet Money episodes on Greece have been some of my favorites. It's such a ludicrous little country when it comes to finances, the euro, etc etc.