The debate has already begun on what a Joe Biden administration will mean for Greek interests. Everything points to an electoral loss for US President Donald Trump but no one should underestimate him.
This fall will not be at all easy. The conservative government will have to take a deep breath before it deals with what will probably look like a storm.
We learned foreign policy from experienced and prudent individuals like the late diplomat Vyron Theodoropoulos. That is, from people who had lived through all the milestone events of Greek-Turkish relations and had, for instance, heard the sound of smashing glass at Greek stores in September 1955 in Istanbul.
Turkey is testing our patience and red lines. Every Greek is naturally deeply upset at the sight of a Turkish seismic survey vessel navigating a provocative course under the escort of several Turkish Navy units, all part of a well-staged show.
It is true that God has given us the perfect plot of land. It is a unique place. Its natural beauty fascinates even the most traveled visitors. Its geopolitical value is incalculable, from the naval battle of Salamis to today. Its history is unsurpassed.
Just take a moment to think of a self-made man who studied and worked hard to excel. Although he did not have any particular connections, he achieved something really special in this country: to be recognized for what he is, and not for the people he knows or because of his cronies.
The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the European Union’s sizable Recovery Fund have opened up great opportunities for our country. Kathimerini asked the top chief executives of Greek companies for their views on the key question of what it will take to truly restart the economy.
Prem Watsa, the founder, chairman, CEO and largest shareholder of Fairfax Financial Holdings, is especially bullish about the Greek economy’s prospects and is clearly happy the country has opened up its economy following the coronavirus lockdown.
There are enterprises in Europe and the US that are inclined to invest in a startup in Greece as long as it fulfills their investment criteria.
Many of the world’s most life-changing events have taken place without a bang, almost quietly.
For capitalism to function effectively, it must be fair. It must accept failure for anyone who takes the necessary risks. But it must also be based on the exemplary punishment of those who operate unfairly, who enrich themselves illegally and trample on the basic rules of the state.
You can only play the anti-systemic card once. The second time is a bust. Two very different politicians, Donald Trump and Alexis Tsipras, have been learning this the hard way.
I have been doing this job long enough not to be surprised by the ruthlessness so vividly displayed in the infamous recorded conversation about the deadly 2018 wildfire in Mati.
An old and true saying teaches us that attempting to cover up a crime is usually worse than the crime itself, whatever it might be. It ultimately does more political damage and puts those responsible for the cover-up on a very slippery and dangerous slope.
The dialogue on national issues should be conducted without hypocrisy or bickering. At the moment, that is what it is characterized by, which is extremely worrying.
After Greece’s leftist-led government launched an auction for TV licenses in 2016, I wrote the following commentary regarding the serious perils of having a government try to lay hands on the news media.
Autumn is when we can expect things to really get tough, as the real economy is put to the test. The money from the European coronavirus recovery fund will take some time to start trickling into the market, banks are moving at a frustratingly slow pace and tourism will remain at very low levels.
Greek tourism was sent into shutdown by the coronavirus just as it had been taking off. The epidemic took a particularly heavy toll on a new breed of businesspeople who had reached a whole new level of professionalism and quality.
Andreas Dracopoulos is the president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), a man known for his resolve, his unorthodox ideas – often with an anti-systemic ring – and his incredible energy. In this interview with Kathimerini, he talks about the foundation’s evolution and the future.
We are a strange country, working ourselves into a lather for a few weeks or even months over one scandal or another – real or assumed. For that time, the political system, the media and coffee-shop analysts dedicate all their energies to Siemens, then to Novartis and then to some organized crime racket caught on tape by the intelligence services.