The Greek Current

“Geography cannot be rewritten … and sovereign rights cannot be erased by drawing arbitrary lines on a map.” Those were Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis words at the UN Security Council this week, as he held up a map showing Turkey and Libya’s “illegal” and “arbitrary” maritime deal. This agreement is back in the headlines these days after Libya’s House of Representatives dropped its longstandin...

A weekend of widespread protests and riots in France has put the spotlight on the many challenges facing the country, from political paralysis to a looming debt crisis. Some pundits and observers are even asking if France, the Eurozone’s second largest economy, is the new Greece of Europe, an ode to Greece’s debt crisis in the 2010s.  While this comparison misses the mark in many ways, Europe...

This week we’re turning our attention to the Horn of Africa, where a long-simmering conflict in Ethiopia recently exploded into open war. The situation is grim, but it’s not limited to Africa’s second most populous nation. Eritrea has been pulled into the conflict, Sudan’s civil war is right next door, and on the other side of the Red Sea the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen continue to strike the Sau...

Athens was buzzing this week as Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Greece. His speech with the Acropolis in the background made headlines around the world, and his emphasis on Greece’s role as “a source of stability in an unstable world" and a “model ally” did not go unnoticed.  Beyond Rubio’s comments, his visit coincided with the 6th US-Greece Strategic Dialogue, reflecting the excellen...

On August 4, a drone struck the wing of a Ukrainian aircraft at Germany’s Leipzig Airport and fell onto the tarmac. It failed to explode. Two more drones were also found nearby over the next few days.  All the evidence has pointed to Russia as the main culprit, with German officials highlighting how the Leipzig airport attack followed a “well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations i...

At the height of the last decade’s financial crisis, Greece was not only struggling to keep capital in the country, but its borrowing cost was also sky high.  Today, Greece is wooing the world’s leading hedge funds with a new tax regime designed to lure investors to establish substantial operations in Athens, and we’ve already seen it persuade billionaire Chris Rokos and the hedge fund Millen...

This week we’re traveling around the region, moving from the Red Sea to the Balkans. While the Iran war has disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s attention shifted to another major global chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea this past week, the Bab-el Mandeb Strait, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels tighten their grip over this strategic maritime route and threaten Saudi Ar...

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stepped up to the podium at the Thessaloniki International Fair last Saturday to lay out his government’s economic agenda for the upcoming year in a speech that essentially set the stage for national elections in 2027. Aside from presenting a 2.2-billion-euro package for next year, he also laid out a roadmap to 2030 that includes reducing unemployment, raising th...

On Monday Greek and Israeli officials met in Tel Aviv to sign the largest bilateral defense contract between the two countries, a deal worth just over €3 billion that will see the implementation of the Achilles Shield, Greece’s first multi-domain defence dome set to cover all of Greece’s territory. It’s important to note that this agreement also signals Greece’s intent to bolster its own defense i...

A week ago the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. The new defense pact has many in the region and in Washington scratching their heads, wondering what its goals are, whether it will trigger regional realignment, and what new risks it raises in an already volatile region where we’ve seen geopolitical rivalries deepen - whether it’s Pakistan’s riv...

Europe and Greece are once again under pressure, as crises largely outside their control have left many on the continent feeling exposed. This summer we have seen sweltering heatwaves, unprecedented wildfires, and a sudden migration crisis at Spain’s border. After facing extended heatwaves last month, fires displaced more than 300,000 people in France and Spain, while firefighters in Greece tragic...

With the summer season in full swing, it’s not just vacations, the islands, and pristine beaches that are top of mind for Greeks. Global uncertainty, crises in the Middle East, a cost of living crisis, and the specter of touristification remain key concerns, and tackling these challenges is going to be tricky as Greece inches toward national elections. The economy is obviously at the heart of many...

On July 20th we marked 52 years since phase one of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus. For 52 years, Turkey has never been held accountable for this illegal invasion and occupation, for the division it imposed on the island, or for the lives and communities it shattered.  Today, despite international condemnation, UN resolutions, and calls for negotiations, the Cyprus issue remains one of the world's lon...

Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey hit the big screen this week. Whether you are a fan of Nolan’s work or not, the reactions and debates we’ve seen across the board remind us of Homer’s immortal appeal, and why the story of Odysseus’ return to Ithaca has captivated audiences around the world for three millennia. As Daniel Mendelsohn wrote recently, “The Odyssey is a remarkably contempor...

President Trump caused a stir this week at the NATO summit as he praised the host, Turkish President Erdogan, and ⁠said he was willing to lift sanctions on Turkey and sell Ankara F-35 fighter jets.  These comments saw an immediate reaction on Capitol Hill as members of Congress urged House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be prepared to use every legisla...

In a few days Turkey will play host to NATO’s leaders for a high-stakes summit that some anticipate could be historic. The two main protagonists at the summit will be President Trump, who has consistently slammed NATO since his return to office, and Turkish President Erdogan, who is likely to use this summit to present himself as an indispensable ally and attempt to legitimize his harsh crackdown...

This week marked 30 years since Andreas Papandreou, the founder and longtime leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement - PASOK, passed away, and Greeks are taking this opportunity to reassess his legacy. Consistently ranked among the most influential leaders of the post-junta era in Greece, Papandreou left his mark on Greek politics and society. Supporters will point to a charismatic leader who...

The big news of the week is undoubtedly President Trump’s deal with Iran to bring an end to the war that has seen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint, shut for months. This agreement, as experts have been keen to point out, is just a start, creating a process for opening the Strait of Hormuz in the short run, and laying out a sixty-day timetable to address many other outstanding issues. Wh...

This week was one full of developments for the Eastern Mediterranean. Top of the list was the announcement in Houston of a major milestone for the region, as the US, Greece, Cyprus and Israel inaugurated the East Med Energy Center, putting into action a major provision of the landmark 2019 EastMed Act, a key priority of HALC. Earlier in the week the East Med Gas Forum was also in the headlines, as...

With tensions running high in the Middle East, President Trump on Friday said Iranian leaders had not yet reached a deal with the US to end the ongoing war. President Trump has insisted that he’s in no rush to make a deal, and that he doesn’t care about how the ongoing war could impact the midterms. At the same time, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is showing little sign of slowing down, des...

On May 21st a Turkish court took the unprecedented step of removing the CHP’s elected leadership, led by Ozgur Ozel, the latest sign of Turkish President Erdogan’s tightening grip on the country. It’s also a sign that Erdogan intends to run for another term as president, and with Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in prison, this move can only mean one thing: Erdogan does not intend to leave the result...

Greek politics is shaking up, as it seems the shift into campaigning is kicking into a higher gear. A major shakeup is underway within Greece’s opposition, as this week saw Maria Karystianou, the popular former president of the Tempe victims’ relatives’ association, announce she is stepping into the fray with a new party. In the coming days we’re also expected to see a similar announcement from fo...

Turkey is once again raising tensions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, this time putting countries in the region on alert as it prepares a “Blue Homeland” piece of legislation that would essentially enshrine Ankara’s maritime claims into domestic law. The move has Athens on alert, and the question everyone is wondering is whether Turkey is now turning its back on maintaining calm in the re...

President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the US would pull five thousand troops from Germany took allies by surprise. The latest comments, which came in the wake of European criticism of the Iran war, were followed by a threat to impose a 25 percent tariff on automobiles and auto parts from Europe, as the US President claimed on social media that Europe was not living up to its end of a t...

Last week Cyprus was at the heart of EU developments. For two days it hosted leaders from the EU, from the Middle East, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Topics ranged from critical security issues and the war in Iran, to Europe’s engagement with the broader Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. On the security front, Cyprus is keen to make the EU’s Article 42.7, a mutual defense claus...