Onasagoras
It's only natural that the election of a volatile president like Trump would raise concerns across the globe. His approach to U.S. foreign policy is anybody's guess, though he may find it hard to stray far from the traditional lines set by the State Department. Some suggest Trump's presidency might even bring us closer to world peace. Let’s hope so—though I wouldn’t hold my breath. Time will tell.
In a previous column, we noted how Christodoulides’s subtle yet unmistakable endorsement of the Democrats, just days before the razor-thin U.S. election, was a totally unnecessary self-goal, particularly from someone with a diplomatic background.
Our young Nikos could take a page from the diplomatic playbook of the not-so-young Biden, who carefully sidestepped the term "invasion" and instead referred to the "artificial division of the island." Let’s hope we’ve learned from our missteps and will tread more diplomatically the next time we’re invited for coffee at the White House. And perhaps the hot-headed Trump won’t hold a grudge against us for being on the “right side of history,” but the wrong side of the election.
Meanwhile, DISY’s decision to limit terms to three was denounced by Efthymios Diplaros as a mistake. Ironically, this may be the one sensible decision DISY has made in years, and the way it’s being contested—ultimately questioning the much-needed renewal of the party—says a lot about its rather bleak future. What could go wrong?
In an interview Saturday with Marina Economides—a brilliant program I highly recommend tracking down—Nikolas Papadopoulos complained that people unfairly blame Tassos for the divisive rhetoric around the Annan Plan. Hmm, why would that be? Let’s try to jog our memory.
Who was the President at the time? Who presented it to us and then tearfully urged us to reject it? Who attempted to label as traitors anyone who held an opposing view? Whoever that may have been, they’re the ones we should hold accountable for the division—not our dear Tassos, who, as everyone knows, was the epitome of purity and virtue. Quite like the airborne Limassolian, the “flying man from Limassol” we all hold dear.
And then there’s Philippa the First, a favorite of this column, declaring that those who criticize the Social Support Agency have no noble intentions. But let’s clarify something: with few exceptions, most who raise concerns aren’t criticizing the Agency itself—they’re questioning the lack of transparency around it. Transparency, as we all know—except apparently the government—is vital in a democracy, no matter how much some would prefer a more regal approach. Not that I’d mind having a monarchy, mind you. Imagine, our First Lady, Philippa Peron. It has quite the ring, doesn’t it?
[This op-ed was translated from its Greek original]
