What Is Greece's Play in the The World We're Living In?

Xenia Kounalaki

Saturday–Jeff

For those of you interested in how Greece–a country of 10 million souls that faces persistent aggressive claims to its land and resources by its neighbor of 88 million (Turkey)–is responding to what's captivating international headlines, this past week's article in Greece's paper of record, Kathimerini, by long time columnist Xenia Kounalaki, may help you find an answer for yourself. 

It's titled, "The Greek 'cheerleaders' of Trumpism."

The Greek government has many opinions on the issue of Venezuela. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis believes that the US operation to arrest Nicolas Maduro was carried out because President Donald Trump is intolerant of authoritarian regimes and wants to restore democratic order.

Along the same lines, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis commented, “Let’s let the people of Venezuela enjoy their first moments of freedom after so many years of a leftist junta and wish them a great, bright democratic future!” He even compared the situation in Venezuela to the 1967-1974 dictatorship in Greece.

Following closely, Immigration Minister Thanos Plevris believes that the American president’s goal is not “to seize territory or change a legally elected government,” but “to arrest a criminal because of the drug trafficking he is carrying out in America.”

“A communist dictator, who had transformed his country’s economy into a drug trafficking center, is no longer in power,” is the assessment of New Democracy lawmaker Makis Voridis, who combines the two aforementioned positions: that the US is fighting a two-pronged battle, against drugs and authoritarianism. The refrain, however, is common: “There is no question of international law” or, as the prime minister put it, “this is not the time.”

And yet it is probably precisely the time to raise the issue of international legitimacy, because after Venezuela, Greenland is next. The major European countries rushed to stand by its side, but they did not ask Greece, because, on the one hand, it is a small country, and on the other, it does not seem to be troubled by America’s aggressive foreign policy. No European country has so far demonstrated particular bravery or willingness to question Trump. But there is great distance between their stance and half the Greek cabinet being more Catholic than the pope.

 “It’s one thing to be restrained and play the game we should – and you see that all Europeans are in a difficult position – and another to applaud,” admitted New Democrat MP Dimitris Kairidis. Indeed, because “karma is a bitch.” Trump, as we all know, has good relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. If Turkey offers Trump interesting quid pro quos, he could sacrifice his “cheerleaders” in Athens overnight. And what will they invoke then? International legitimacy?

 –Jeff

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We Are Not Alone

Jeff––Saturday

Recently, I decided to take a break from closely following US political developments.  As a mystery writer, it’s discouraging to labor so hard concocting thrilling yet believable fictional twists and turns to our storylines only to see happenings and scenarios once thought unimaginable emerge as the true-to-life lead news of the day.

 

Of course, some exposure to current news is unavoidable. For example, I still (attempt to) listen courteously when my better-half rages about news I don’t want to hear, and I regularly keep up with the news coming out of Greece.

 

It’s the latter experience that prompted me to write this post. Paschos Mandravelis is a journalist writing a daily column on politics, society, and economics for Kathimerini, Greece’s newspaper of record. His column yesterday (Friday) was captioned, “When you don’t take your own advice.” It appeared to be a relatively innocent piece expressing the reporter’s views on the person chosen by Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to serve in the largely ceremonial role of President of the Republic.

 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) President Konstantinos Tasoulis (right)

But as I read on, I realized that in addressing Greece’s current challenges he was hitting upon matters that featured prominently in the strategies employed in the recent US election. Specifically, (a) distracting the voters’ attention from the nation’s “big problems--inflation, poor public infrastructure, etc.” by getting them to haggle among themselves over emotion-driven issues, (b) quarreling over “woke culture,” (c) pent up concern over “pension reform” and  “overhauling public education and universities,” and (d) a serious threat to the country’s health care system posed by the “explosion” in “pharmaceutical spending.”

 

Sound familiar?  What follows is the entire article.  As for me, I’m off to binge watch a bit of my friend’s new series on Prime Video, On Call.  For me, it’s the perfect fast-paced escapism remedy for all the reality that may ail ye these days.

 

Paschos Mandravelis

After the constitutional revision of 1985, the selection of candidates for the Presidency of the Greek Republic serves two purposes: One is for people to have something to talk about and bet on in cafes, so that we can forget a little about our big problems – inflation, poor public infrastructure etc.

 

The second has to do with symbolism. Beyond the petty party aspirations, the selection of the candidate for the highest and mostly symbolic office in the country aims at revealing the spirit of those who recommend him or her. Symbolism has long-term political effects. Sometimes these effects are immediate. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis fashioned a reformist profile for himself by voting against Prokopis Pavlopoulos (a former interior minister with the conservatives) for president in 2015, when he was recommended by the then coalition government of SYRIZA and ANEL.

 

The recent choices of candidates for president and parliament speaker have obvious symbolism. The unjustified (for the time being, at least) rejection of Katerina Sakellaropoulou for a second term as president by the prime minister has to do with New Democracy’s inner quarrels over the nonexistent – according to Mitsotakis – issue of “woke culture.”

 

There are also less obvious symbolisms. For example, the choice of Tasos Giannitsis from PASOK, is essentially the party’s self-criticism for the furious reaction to the former labor minister’s proposed and forward-thinking pension reform in 2001; correspondingly, PASOK’s emblematic Diamantopoulou Law overhauling public education and universities was the self-criticism for the well-intentioned Law 1268/1982, which generated many ills in public universities.

 

A key cause of Greece’s bankruptcy was pharmaceutical spending. From 2.4 billion euros in 2004, it exploded to 5.28 billion euros in 2009. The reason for this rally was the abolition of the list of prescribed medicines available to state-insured patients and its replacement by a more “flexible” system in 2004 by the then conservative minister of health, Nikitas Kaklamanis. Thus, the great paradox arises: Mitsotakis voted against Pavlopoulos because “he did not resist the sirens of clientelism” by appointing thousands of contract workers (as he himself stated on February 18, 2015), yet he now recommends Kaklamanis for house speaker, the third highest office in the country, despite the fact that he more than doubled the annual pharmaceutical spending during his term.

 

We should note here that, in November 2013, the late manager of the now-defunct Social Security Foundation (IKA), Yiannis Vartholomaios, had shown the then conservative prime minister, Kostas Karamanlis, two boxes of medicines and told him: “These are two identical medicines and have exactly the same therapeutic effect. The only difference is in their price. One is 10 times more expensive than the other. After the abolition of the list of prescribed medicines by your government, strangely all doctors prescribe the expensive and not the cheap one. And because of this, which has an obvious explanation, I believe that it is only a matter of time before IKA collapses.”

 

––Jeff

 

The Best Month to Visit Greece

Jeff–Saturday

 

It’s been a hectic week in Greece, one that had me unexpectedly jumping back and forth between Mykonos and Athens—all for the greater glory of life on the island.  By the time I realized it was Friday afternoon—with a blog due one sunset away­––I jumped onto Ekathimerini, the website for Greece’s newspaper of record (Kathimerini) in search of news to inspire my readers.

 

What I fell upon was a gold mine of information on Greece in a print and online magazine called “GREECE IS,” published by Kathimerini.  By its own admission, Greece Is offers “deeply researched articles, travel guides and insiders' secrets about all of the tangible and intangible things that make Greece the unique and wonderful place that it is… A one-stop source for inside information on what Greece is all about … from the captivating past to the riveting present.”

 

What caught my eye was an article written by Paulina Björk Kapsalis under the category “Editor’s Pick,” titled “The Best Month to Visit Greece.” 

 

If I charged a euro every time I’m asked to name that month, I’d have more than enough to pay for a beach chair and umbrella at one of Mykonos’ high priced beach clubs…though I might have to pay extra for Barbara.

 

The article describes itself as, “A helpful guide to choosing the right time for your vacation in Greece, depending on your likes and needs.”  I assumed it to be another “Greece is grand” PR piece—especially with the opening line, “There is no bad time to visit Greece.”

 

I was more than pleasantly surprised.  I agree wholeheartedly with the writer’s observations and choice of photographs illustrating her points.  I not only couldn’t have said it better, but now have a ready reference for the next time I’m asked that question. 

 

Rather than dragging out the suspense, here’s the article, though the photos used in this re-posting are not the ones used in the article, but were selected from photos posted on the Greece Is Facebook page.

 

The Best Month to Visit Greece.

 

There is no bad time to visit Greece.

 

There, we had to say that. Now let’s get real: not every month in Greece is for everyone, and they are definitely not all the same. While seasons often seem to blur together in this country, without clear-cut shoulder seasons and with plenty of warm winter days, there are defining factors linked to each month which can affect your holiday experience.

 

So which is the best month to visit Greece? For the sake of avoiding personal preferences (full disclosure, yours truly doesn’t particularly care for November) and staying impartial (my birthday is in April – you should all come then) when writing this article, we posed the question on Instagram.

 

Low and behold, there were tons of votes… for every single month. The months in the high-season were slightly more popular, unsurprisingly, and a lot of people favored spring, but we were surprised and glad to see that others named the months we never thought would be so popular. As a result, this will not be an article about the one best month to visit Greece, but a guide to the best month to visit, depending on your preferences.

 

Although it turns out, I was right about November.

 

The best month to visit Greece and get the beach to yourself: September

 

We lied before. While our poll did reflect hugely varied opinions, one month did win, and that was September.

 

At the tail end of summer, those looking for lazy days on the beach will be happy to find that while most of both foreign and Greek tourists have gone home, it’s still summer. The hottest period weather-wise is also over, so you might actually stay on the beach even as the sun reaches its zenith, while the sea that has been slowly cooking since spring, is as warm as it’ll ever be.

 

By the end of the month, when the first rains fall, many beach bars begin to pack up. If the weather still holds up, they might stay open, but will eventually quit restocking the draft beer and the mix for the soft serve ice cream.

 

As an alternative, we might add April through May as a good time to visit Greece and get the beach to yourself, if you don’t mind cold water or if you just want to be different, though most beach bars don’t open until June.

 

The best month to visit Greece for watersports: June-August

 

While many Greeks make the most of their access to relatively warm sea from early spring until November, especially for more chilled activities such as SUP paddle boarding and kayaking, surf clubs tend to open in May and close at the end of September, so if you need to rent your equipment, this is your window.

 

Surfers can count on the steadiest winds at the peak of summer, i.e., in June, July and August. Of course, this is also when the beaches will be more crowded, and it’s advisable to stick to beaches frequented by other surfers and not by swimmers. You can find our guide to Greece’s best windsurfing destinations here, and the top kitesurfing destinations here.

 

The famous Meltemi winds, which blow across the Aegean Sea from the north, are strongest in July and August, when they can sometimes reach up to 8 Beaufort, and especially powerful in the Cyclades. If they’re too strong, naturally, watersport centers will close.

 

The best month to visit Greece if you like crowds: August

In the hot month of August is when most Greeks take their time off from work and leave the cities for the islands and mainland seaside destinations. Sleepy villages and small islands come alive during this month, while the most famous tourist destinations become seriously packed.

 

Those looking to mingle and party the nights away can’t pick a better time – but do make sure to book accommodation and tables at restaurants ahead of time, or you run the risk of spending half your time in queues for souvlaki and sleeping on the beach. Also, remember, social distancing is still a thing.

 

The best month to visit Greece and experience unique traditions: February-April (in 2023)

 

You probably know that Greeks love their traditions. There are unique and eccentric celebrations taking place throughout the year and throughout the country, not to mention the local customs specific to every place.

 

Two moveable holidays in spring feature some of the most colorful events that anybody interested in Greek culture should experience at least once: Apokries (Greece’s carnival season), and Easter.

 

While it sometimes takes place in March, in 2023, the three weeks of Apokries will fall on February 5-26. Most of the celebrations take place during the last week, when you may watch or take part in everything from parades and costume parties, to street performances, flour wars, and local fertility-promoting rites with pagan roots. You can find our guide to the places with the most unique celebrations of carnival here.

 

Easter, the most important holiday in the Orthodox Christian calendar, is celebrated in Greece in a big way. The most important days, Friday-Sunday of the Holy Week, will take place on April 14-16 in 2023 (this moveable holiday sometimes also falls in May). You can find our “bluffer’s guide” to Greek Easter here.

 

If you’re planning on a long stay, you might combine Apokries or Easter with one of two more holidays happening in-between. That is, Clean Monday, which falls on the day after Apokries (February 27 in 2023) – the first day of the 40-day lent leading up to easter, and is celebrated with seafood and kite flying; and Greek Independence Day, which always falls on March 25, and is celebrated with parades and a meal of batter-fried cod and garlic dip (bakaliaros skordalia).

 

For more information about Greek holidays, find our Holiday Calendar here.

 

The best month to visit Greek cities: April & December

 

We can’t decide. April, depending on the weather, can provide some of the loveliest days for wandering around one of Greece’s big cities. Fragrant bitter orange trees, almond trees and jacarandas bloom, and the temperature allows both for endless strolls and dining at outdoor cafés and restaurants.

 

In December, meanwhile, it might be cold, but if it is the Christmas decorations will warm your soul – and if that’s not enough, there’s hot cocoas and oinomelo, Greece’s mulled wine, on the menus of bars and cafés. Being low-season for tourism, you’ll have plenty of space to roam at the popular sights, while if you’re looking for nightlife, this is also one of the best and busiest times in the cities. You can find a guide to Christmas in Athens here.

 

There are also good things to be said about August. While the heat can be unpleasant in the city, that prompts a large portion of locals to leave on vacation, resulting in less traffic and fewer people around the sights.

 

The best month to visit Greece on a budget: October-May

 

Okay, naming the entire low-season is not the same as naming a month, we know that, but here’s the thing: As Greece attempts to grow its tourism season, more and more destinations are becoming accessible and pleasant throughout the year, while still being a lot more affordable during these months. What we would suggest is to avoid visiting during a Greek holiday, when hotels will raise their prices in anticipation of a higher domestic tourism flow.

 

Specifically:

 

In October, avoid the long weekend created by Ochi Day, on the 28th, if it falls on a Friday or Monday, creating a long weekend (as it will this year).

 

In December, avoid the Holiday period, from December 24th through the end of the year.

 

In January, avoid the first week of the year, especially January 6th, Epiphany, if it falls on a Friday or Monday, creating a long holiday (as it will in 2023).

 

In February/ March, avoid the long weekend created by Clean Monday (February 25-27 in 2023), as well as that created by Greek Independence Day if it falls on a Friday or Monday (not the case in 2023).

 

In April/May, avoid Easter, and May Day, if it falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday (if it falls on a weekend, the public holiday is moved up, therefore creating a long weekend).

 

Thank you, GREECE IS.

 

––Jeff

Rocking Along With the Cradle of Democracy

Jeff–Saturday

 

In reading through Greek newspapers for a topic of interest to write about, I drifted toward the ever-present threats of war posed by Turkey, the implications of Greece announcing the purchase of warships from France so soon after the US wrecked France’s submarine deal with Australia, the nation’s battle to vaccinate its population, Greece’s optimistic view of tourism for next year, and record setting rising rental rates across much of Greece’s most populated regions.

 

But then I came across an opinion piece by one of my favorite editorial writers, Alex Papachelas, executive editor of Kathimerini newspaper.  He titles his article, “Political instability through coalitions,” and addresses current difficulties faced by Greece within a parliamentary system that virtually always requires disparate parties to unite in forming a coalition government with leaders endorcing decidedly different agendas from what’s desired by a majority of Greeks. 

 

A situation unimaginable under America’s two-party system.

 

Yeah, right.

 

These days, inquiring minds want to know whether America is a two, three, four, or five party system?

 

Though in places the editorial refers to situations obviously unique to Greece, with the Grand Kabuki-level drama currently playing out within America’s three branches of government, if one substitutes “America” for “Greece” in Mr. Papachelas’ editorial, he succinctly sums up an existential threat facing American democracy.  Nowhere more chillingly so than in the final sentence of his final paragraph.

 

Here’s the editorial:

 

Some people dream of coalition and weak governments – for many different reasons. But is Greece a country that can be governed with a system of proportional representation? It would be very hard. It is, after all, a country that is marginally governed, even under normal circumstances.

 

There is no culture of cooperation and consensus at all in our political DNA. The mentality of the zero-sum game has prevailed for decades. No matter how small the differences have become on serious issues, the gap between our political leaders and the main parties is huge.

 

The only case in which one could imagine our political leaders sitting at the same table would be on the brink of a disaster, as was the case, for example, in 2015, when we came close to a Grexit. But there is no reason to step any closer to the abyss just to see if we can withstand coalition governments. After all, it is political instability and uncertainty that can easily push us over the edge.

 

Currently, for example, there are many people and companies who want to either invest or gain a foothold in Greece. When asked about the country, they are naturally interested in the problems with justice and the public administration, as well as to the unpredictable factor called Turkey. But one thing worries them most: whether the country is going to go through more periods of political uncertainty, with new problems. It took a lot of effort to restore the country’s credibility and put our misadventures behind us. There is no room for setbacks.

 

Greece is not Germany. It will be years before we can afford to wait for months for a new government to be formed. Or for us, the media, to demand that all political leaders sit at the same table on election night. As for the Greek state, its operation slows down months ahead of and after the elections. In case of a political vacuum, it would not work at all. We are facing many important threats: fires, public debt, Turkey. These are issues that require quick decisions and a common understanding of the necessary actions, which is rare even in a one-party government.

 

It is natural for those who feel necessary or left out of the game to want to enter or re-enter. The danger is that we will find ourselves in a chaotic situation in which the question of how the country can be governed does not depend on the necessary people, but on lunatics and extremists.

 

–Jeff

A Greek's Take on US

Jeff–Saturday

America is going through a confluence of events unlike any before experienced all at once, and while those still sane among us fervently wish/pray/beg times will soon be better, in our hearts we know that won’t be the case.

On a far less cataclysmic but personal level, for the first time in thirty-five plus years, I will not be making it to Greece this summer.

Sigh. Deeper sigh.

While casting about the Greek news for something to write about that would bring a bit of distraction to my mood, I came across an article published on Wednesday in Kathimerini–Greece’s newspaper of record–written by its Executive Editor, Alexis Papachelas, titled, “The other America hopes.”

Alexis Papachelas

It’s far from the fun thing I was looking for, but in it I found serendipitous solace.  As dark as the writer’s view of our current circumstances, our destiny is not in the hands of fate, but in our own. In other words, folks, what happens to US is up to us.

Here’s Alexis' take:

Ex-Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis

Konstantinos Mitsotakis often said that a few determined people can make a country. It was a reference to Greece. What would the late Greek prime minister [and father of Greece’s current prime minister] have to say about developments in the US if he was alive today? Most likely that a determined man can throw a country into turmoil.

It’s horrifying that strong states with a long tradition and solid institutions have entered a period of upheaval, irrationality and institutional backsliding. It happened in Britain and it is now happening in the US. Sure, developments in both countries were generated by more profound causes. However, they would not have come about without the stubbornness and the catastrophic rage of their leaders. 

I assume that, like other leaders of his generation, Mitsotakis would find it hard to accept the ease with which US President Donald Trump challenges the international system which was set up after the Second World War and which secured the lengthiest period of peace and prosperity for the West. Mitsotakis belonged to a generation that experienced war and understood very well the risks which arise when more profound forces of history are combined with the destructive and/or paranoid rage of leaders.

Trump has divided American society so deeply that many pundits fear that the lack of a clear result in November’s presidential election could spark civil strife. He treats institutions with arrogance and vengeance, as if they were a straitjacket confining his movement. 

The sight of Trump appearing with officials of his administration and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in particular, in front of a church holding aloft a bible is shocking by American standards. His attacks against the media makes local “Doberman” trolls seem like kittens by comparison. There are no limits. Moving downhill.

In recent days, the pendulum appears to be swinging against what Trump stands for. Moderate Republicans have started to openly criticize him. The American middle class is terrified of the chaos and, despite its commitment to the principles of law and order, feels that Trump is dangerous and unpredictable. 

Right now, it would be premature to draw conclusions. However, we can be optimistic that the other America has not given up.

It remains to be seen if – should Trump lose the November election – Mitsotakis’ saying will prove correct in this case. That is, if his Democratic rival Joe Biden and his administration will manage to contain the damage, restore equilibrium at home, and reunite American society. Winning the election will not be easy for Biden. Nor will accomplishing any of that.

****

Now on to a bit of brash commercialism. Greece’s Athens Insider Magazine has selected my 10^th Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel, Island of Secrets (the paperback version of The Mykonos Mob) as it’s “Book of the Week.”  Coincidentally, an e-book version is available until Tuesday, June 16^th, for $1.99 across a panoply of e-book formats by simply clicking here or https://books2read.com/islandofsecretssiger

Happy Fathers’ Day.

--Jeff

When Will We Ever Learn?

Jeff––Saturday

After a week in Dallas, sharing a spectacular Bouchercon experience with so many old friends and new, I returned to New York and began to catch up on the news in Greece.  What immediately caught my attention was a feature story in the newspaper Protothema reporting on events seemingly lifted straight from the pages of my latest novel, The Mykonos Mob.   

The lead to that article—titled the “Godfathers War with 5+1 Executions”—reads,  “How the financial crisis became the cause for the Mafia to spread its tentacles to smuggling, cocaine, prostitution, and Mykonos circles—How Kalishnikovs changed the map.”

That is all I shall say about that here. 

photo by Dimitris Popotas

 No, not (so much) out of concern for my personal safety but because of an article I later read in a different Greek newspaper, Kathimerini.  The author, Nikos Konstandaras is the newspaper’s managing editor, and he writes about how the electoral losses of Greece’s Nazi party, Golden Dawn, and its leaders facing criminal trials, should not lead one to “believe that our society has been freed of the danger of bigotry and violence.”

Though he writes about what Greece faces, much of what Mr. Konstandaras describes is chillingly relevant to the rest of Western civilization.  Here are his words, under the title, “The tide of anger”:

The greatest defeats don’t always come in the greatest battle; they may come gradually, with successive, small defeats, until suddenly the whole battlefield is under the enemy’s boot. In our country, the battlefield is the space of civilized political exchange, of democracy; its enemies are those who see this rivalry as a demand to destroy the enemy.

Close to 200 years after the start of the Greek War of Independence and we have still not harnessed our national energy to the service of the greatest national priority – survival and prosperity.

If the times were not so dangerous, with our region and the world in a state of flux, if Greece had no hopes of succeeding, these thoughts would have no meaning: On the one hand, they would be hyperbole and misplaced (after all, despite endless divisions Greece has come so far); on the other, if the war was already lost there would be no reason to hope that a change of mentality would be of any benefit. And yet, we continue to undermine ourselves. There are capable people in many parties but they are overshadowed by the loudmouths.

In the streets, on the airwaves and in social networks, threats and violence (verbal and physical) set the tone.

Most citizens hope for stability, for cooperation and progress. Our public debate, though, aims not at solutions but at eliminating or humiliating our rivals. Of course, we ought to be concerned about migration, about Turkey, about erratic America and sleepwalking Europe, about the exodus of our youth and our demographic decline. But we also ought to hope that with the crisis ending, we have the resources to improve our lot.

However, when the main parties reproduce the vocabulary and behaviors of the past, they themselves crush the space between them – and anyone who advocates consensus and cooperation.

When the sole target is political domination, then the most extreme citizens take things to extremes, believing that they have the right to replace political and judicial power; that only they can express what the nation ought to want.

Whether through “anarchists” who beat up a student or through “fascists” who knife an immigrant, the tide of anger reaches everywhere. The only possible solution would be from above – from responsible political leaders setting a good example, placing the interests of the nation above their own.

Well, said.  Now what?

—Jeff