In ancient Athens, the agora was where citizens gathered to hear news, discuss and, later, trade. The agora was the heart of the city’s political, cultural and spiritual life. It is this spirit we hope to channel in this section of the website. Here, the Agora is a public forum for discussing events unfolding in Greece and beyond.
In May 2020, we also launched a podcast called The Agora, delivering insight from our own experts and analysis from special guests. If you enjoy intelligent, lively discussion and want the bigger picture, join us for a stroll through the Agora. Our show is hosted on Acast, but you can also listen to us here:
Just under 17 years ago, New York Times commentator Thomas Friedman put forward a theory that if McDonald’s restaurants open in a country, a functioning democracy and institutions won’t be far behind. In July, the last McDonald’s operating in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, closed. Friedman did not opine on whether the opposite of his theory was also true.
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A quarter-pounder democracy