The Greek Current

At the beginning of the year Lebanon found itself with a new president, a weakened Hezbollah, and the collapse of Assad in Syria, and many - including leaders in Athens - were asking if now was an opportunity to reimagine Lebanon's future. Today Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis as we look into Greece’s ties to Lebanon and its message of support as t...

Over the last decade we’ve gotten used to Congress driving policy on the East Med, yet since President Trump’s inauguration in January, all eyes have been on the executive. Endy Zemenides, HALC’s executive Director, joins Thanos Davelis today to see how Congress - on the heels of passing Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” - is stepping back into the spotlight, introducing key bills on Greece and Cyprus....

Earlier this week it seems President Trump took a new stance on Ukraine, announcing a new plan to speed weapons to the war-torn country along with the threat of a new round of punishing sanctions. At the same time, he doubled down on tariffs this past weekend, threatening 30% tariffs on the EU. Ian Lesser, the vice president and Brussels chief of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, join...

Recent statistics show that home ownership is declining in Greece, while the number of people living on rent is shooting up. At the same time, the supply of apartments for sale or rent in the center of Athens continues to drop, while prices are on the rise. This is all contributing to a deepening housing crisis for many Greeks. Nikos Roussanoglou, a journalist at Kathimerini covering the economy a...

Italy and Greece are sounding the alarm in Brussels over a spike in migrant flows from Libya which has seen at least 9,000 people arrive in Crete since the start of the year, most of them in recent weeks. Athens has responded with new tough migration rules, and the Greek navy is also present in the area. Angeliki Dimitriadi, an independent researcher and expert on migration, joins Thanos Davelis a...

There are few media outlets - let alone businesses or organizations - around the world that can boast 100 years of existence. As of this weekend, Apogevmatini, the Greek newspaper founded in 1925 in Istanbul, can do just that. Niko Efstathiou, an Athens based journalist and author, joins Thanos Davelis to look into the legacy of Apogevmatini, the paper of the Greeks of Istanbul, tracing its histor...

It seems Erdogan's main political opponents - primarily from the main opposition - are up against an unprecedented crackdown over the past months that has seen more than 500 people detained. Erdogan has said this government probe targets what he has called a network that is like "an octopus,” both within Turkey and abroad. Ayla Jean Yackley, an Istanbul-based journalist covering Turkey with storie...

We’re turning our attention to Libya today, as a surge in the number of migrants traveling from the divided country to Greece’s shores is sounding alarms in Athens and in Brussels. As Greece and the European Union look to tackle this new challenge, Athens is also looking to engage diplomatically with the two rival factions in Libya’s east and west. Alexandra Voudouri, Kathimerini’s Brussels corres...

Originally by today - July 9th - we were supposed to have 90 trade deals in 90 days, and new tariffs were supposed to go into effect. This week, the Trump administration extended the deadline to August 1st. President Trump is now insisting that there will not be another extension to this deadline. Maria Demertzis, the chief economist for Europe at the Conference Board in Brussels, joins Thanos Dav...

Speaking at an event organized by Kathimerini last week in Athens, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel reflected on her tenure, touching on a number of issues, from her relationship with leaders like former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to the Greek financial crisis. Iliana Magra, a journalist with Kathimerini, joins Thanos Davelis as we break down the main takeaways from this visit. You can re...

Recent reports indicate that the White House is looking to find a way to move past Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, and pave the way for Ankara to return to the F-35 program. Sinan Ciddi and Bradley Bowman, the authors of the recent op-ed “S-400s or not, don’t give Turkey the F-35”, join Thanos Davelis to make the case that even if Turkey gives up the S-400s, F-35s should be off the ta...

While everyone’s attention has been on the Middle East over the past weeks, I want to turn us to the Black Sea. The Black Sea is not just critical to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, but it is a key part of the wider standoff between Moscow and the West, raising questions about European security and drawing in other powers as well like Turkey and the US. Dimitar Bechev, a senior...

A scandal involving EU funds and farm subsidies has rocked the Greek government and is the lead story coming out of Greece. Over the weekend we saw the resignation of a few ministers, including migration minister and former agriculture minister Makis Voridis, and we’ve seen Prime Minister Mitsotakis acknowledge the government’s failure while announcing steps to address the issue. Nektaria Stamouli...

We’re turning to Turkey today, where Turkish markets rallied on Monday after a Turkish court adjourned a case that could force the removal of the main opposition party's leader. Despite this decision, there is still rising political uncertainty in the country as Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu remains imprisoned, and questions remain about the direction Turkey’s economy is heading. Wolfango Piccoli,...

Since President Trump stepped back into the Oval Office, Greece has been on the lookout for the arrival of a new US ambassador. While nominee Kimberly Guilfoyle has yet to go through her Senate hearing, the US ambassador in Ankara, Tom Barrack, seems to be charting a new course for US-Turkey ties. Tom Ellis, the editor in chief of Kathimerini’s English Edition, joins Thanos Davelis as we break dow...

Today we’re turning to Greece’s south, and looking at developments in Libya which are increasingly moving onto Athens’ radar. Greece is closely monitoring recent energy agreements between Libya’s Tripoli-based government and Turkey, and is moving ships south of Crete amid a new surge in migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya and heading to Greece. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic a...

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Turkey late last week for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first formal meeting of its kind and a move Yerevan described as a "historic" step. Despite previous efforts - and a slew of concessions by Pashinyan to both Azerbaijan and Turkey over the past years - there has been little tangible progress in normalizing relations. Dr....

A few days ago the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria, was bombed in a terrorist attack that left dozens of people dead. The attack has left Syria’s Christians struggling to understand why their community was targeted, and wondering if they can rely on the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa for safety. Nadine Maenza joins Thanos Davelis as we take a closer look at what this de...

We’re turning our attention to the Hague today, where NATO leaders are gathering this week for a two day summit. While European allies - keen to avoid clashing with President Trump - already agreed to Washington’s demands that they increase defense spending, key questions loom over Ukraine, the Middle East, and the future of the transatlantic alliance. Ian Lesser, the vice president and Brussels c...

Turkey’s latest move to submit a new so-called maritime spatial plan to UNESCO laying claim to half of the Aegean Sea is once again putting the spotlight on its revisionist Blue Homeland doctrine, and raising questions about its commitment to maintaining calm in the region. Constantinos Filis, the director of the Institute of Global Affairs and a professor of international relations at the America...

Over the past decades we’ve heard a lot about the potential impacts of climate change, from rising temperatures to wildfires and droughts. Greece is on the frontline of many of these shifts. Today we’re taking a closer look at how climate change will impact Greece’s economy. Nikos Vettas, the General Director of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research and a Professor of Economics at th...

Earlier this week Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis essentially launched his pre-election campaign, unveiling a roadmap to the 2027 elections. As Mitsotakis prepares for 2027, we’re also seeing former prime minister Alexis Tsipras take steps that are fueling speculation about a political comeback, while the far-right is back in the headlines. Lamprini Rori, an Assistant Professor in Political Ana...

The G7 leaders just met in Canada where the focus quickly turned to geopolitics, primarily the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, which saw President Trump leave the summit early and return to Washington as conflict escalated between Israel and Iran. At the same time, trade remains a key concern among the G7 nations, as tariffs loom on the horizon. Matthew Goodman, the director of the Green...

Kathimerini just ran a piece highlighting the efforts of teachers and community schools in keeping Greek education alive in Turkey. These schools are central to the Greek community in Istanbul, a community that once had a significant presence but has dwindled to roughly 2,000 individuals over the last century as a result of government policies, persecution, and a pogrom in the 1950s. Dr. Ilay Roma...

Since arriving in Ankara, US ambassador Tom Barrack has been thrown into the spotlight. Aside from his active role in Syria, reports indicate he is laying the groundwork for an Erdogan visit to Washington. If we take a closer look, however, the argument could also be made that he is seemingly promoting a number of Turkish positions across the board - from selling Turkey F-35s to presenting Turkey...