Agora
Posts in Politics
Waiting for Godot in Greece
According to its Wikipedia article, Waiting for Godot by Irish writer Samuel Beckett is an absurdist play, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone named Godot. The current situation in Athens has remarkable similarities with this classic piece of European literature.
Contributor: Jens Bastian
Categories: Europe (296), Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)
The institutional weakness poisoning Greek politics
It appears that the leader of ultra-nationalist LAOS, Giorgos Karatzaferis, will stand trial in connection to kickbacks he allegedly received as part of a deal signed to supply Greece with Super Puma helicopters. While this week's developments provide some hope that those guilty of corruption (time will tell if Karatzaferis is one of them) will be brought to justice, they also highlight the inability of Greek institutions to fulfil their role as guardians of fairness and democracy.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (413), Greece (527)
The rise of a "Spanish SYRIZA" transform’s country’s politics
The dramatic entrance on the political scene of Podemos, a nine-month-old far-left party, does not have any precedent in the nearly 40 years of democracy in Spain. Nut nor has the country experienced the scale of the crises that have pounded it since 2008, forming the breeding ground in which the “Spanish SYRIZA” has sprung up.
Contributor: Arturo Lopo
Categories: Europe (296), Politics (413)
You can call it reform if you like
The coalition is currently involved in a dispute with local authorities over checks on municipal employees’ contracts. Some mayors have resisted attempts by the Administrative Reform Ministry to review the agreements that led to thousands of fixed-term contracts becoming permanent a decade ago.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (413), Greece (527)
Between the sword and the olive branch: Dilemmas of Greek diplomacy
"In one hand Greece holds an olive branch but in the other it holds the sword of justice," said Greece's new Defence Minister Nikos Dendias as he was sworn in on Monday. The danger is, though, that Greece is bringing a sword to a gunfight. Within hours of Dendias taking over the role, the Turkish Navy corvette Büyükada was sailing in Greek waters, not far from Athens. It was the latest unsubtle reminder from Greece’s neighbour that it will not relent from testing the limits of legality in Aegean.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (413), Greece (527)