News Stream

Tsipras’s last card

Arrogance sends cocky message to kids

Michalis Tsikalas writes about the education crisis, commenting on a show of arrogance that exists in the wider public sphere. This type of arrogance, whether coming from public officials or teacher unions, sends a wrong message to kids and stands in the way of getting basic messages of respect through them...

We need the new diaspora back

The fall of a post-junta era symbol

Knock it down and rebuild it from scratch

Greece on the energy map with the support of big players

There has been a serious uptick in activity concerning the energy sector in the broader region in the past few months and Greece has a potentially pivotal role to play in developments....

Requiem for an establishment

Come back, support Greece

We are caught between celebrations over Greece’s “clean exit” from the bailout programs on one hand and, on the other, allegations that the country has effectively signed up to what can be considered a “fourth memorandum” and is headed to economic disaster....

Seizing opportunities

Greece needs to play its cards right if it wants to profit from the opportunities arising on the international stage, but also to keep in mind that all of the big players are unpredictable and the game at hand incredibly complex....

Should we listen to President Trump or the diplomats?

As Greece finds itself faced with a wide range of challenges – from Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean to its relationship with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and developments on the Balkan peninsula – it would be useful to have a clear idea of Washington’s strategic objectives regarding these issues. This is regrettably not an easy task considering that what President Donald Trump says does not necessarily reflect official US policy....

The mistakes of Greece’s creditors

A lot has been said about the mistakes made by Greece’s lenders during the bailout programs. The fact is they made many errors, including some serious ones. Meanwhile, Greek politicians were responsible for refusing to take ownership of the required reforms and failing to reach a degree of basic consensus. ...

The heavy cost of cowardice

I’ve heard a government minister speak about a vital agency of the Greek state and admit that “there’s nothing that can save this department – it ought to be shut down and rebuilt from scratch.”...

Wanted: A respected person for assistance effort

After the cries of despair come the calls for help and the need for long-term support. The victims of the lethal inferno that devastated eastern Attica on July 23 don’t just need words of solidarity but deeds too....

2021, a landmark year

It won’t be long before 2021 is upon us. In three years’ time Greece will be celebrating the bicentennial of its war of independence against Ottoman rule. It will be a landmark anniversary and should be commemorated as such. All sorts of institutions, foundations and associations will host events which, combined with the state ceremonies, will lend a celebratory character to the occasion....

A useful proposal, instead of useless noise

Nowadays, the actions of politicians are strongly geared toward their public image....

#PoliticsBlog The imposing Mrs Lute and the moment of truth

Onasagoras takes a look at the Lute visit and as always, there's an inside scoop on the usual suspects...

Holding referendums in FYROM and Greece

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is moving ahead with preparations for its referendum on the name deal reached with Athens, which will pave the way for its induction to NATO and remove a major obstacle to the process for it to join the European Union....

Investing in knowledge

A growth rate of 1.9 percent is way too small for a country like Greece, especially as the rest of Europe’s performance is so much more robust. This is, after all, a country that shed 25 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in the course of a decade. What we should be seeing, therefore, is the effect of a tightly wound spring, whereby a virtuous cycle of growth begins and only gets faster with time. Instead, we’re hobbling along at 1.9 percent, the slowest rate an economy can achieve after hitting rock bottom....

No more pretexts

The world will never be the same since Donald Trump was installed in the White House. In a sense, his election was unavoidable. Not because matters became unbearable in the last 30 years after the fall of the communist system in Europe. Rather, it was because they became in a way unnatural....

The positions of SYRIZA, New Democracy and our allies

Diplomats, analysts and officials from international institutions visiting Greece have a hard time understanding and assessing what in their eyes appears to be a bizarre political reality....

#PoliticsBlog End of an era and Harris’ bitter chalice

Journalists often abuse the term 'end of an era' but in the case of the Cyprus Cooperative Bank, these words totally fit the bill...

Mirror images of national agony

When I hear “Macedonia is Greek!” I think of the slogan used by opponents to Irish independence in the early 1900s:“Ulster is British” ...

#PoliticsBlog - Healthy’s thunder and a warning

Get the inside scoop on political gossip and other happenings right here, including the ‘Healthy one’ landing on the unions like a sumo wrestler...

Toxic patriotism

The lynch mob attack on Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris – the only way the incident can be described – during a gathering to commemorate the so-called Pontic Genocide, the killing of ethnic Greeks by the Turks during World War I, and while the national anthem was playing in the background, should give us pause...

The first modern Islamist fundamentalist conquest of the West?

New revelations expose Turkey stealthily positioning itself to attempt to permanently possess the northern third of Cyprus which is rich in hydrocarbons...

Europe’s walls and Italy

A coalition government between two Italian parties that are ready to challenge core European Union rules and practices will show whether the Union still has reserves of strength or whether decay and fragmentation are inevitable...

Cyprus energy search – averting a US-Turkey crisis

Cyprus continues to proceed with offshore oil and gas projects despite Turkey's opposition...

The 'guards' are waiting

Today, Greece is being run by a combination of “pink guards” officials of the old PASOK, friends and relatives...

Greece, Cyprus and Israel together in Washington

While the leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Israel confirmed once again in Nicosia their strategic choice to follow a common course on a number of issues and to promote cooperation in a series of sectors – leading with energy – diaspora organizations from the three countries organized a joint conference in Washington...