Agora
A summit of little substance
The European Council meeting on 24-25 October 2013 was a rather low-key affair, with the scheduled policy debates on substantive issues overshadowed by the National Security Agency scandal and allegations that the US intelligence authorities had tapped the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (and possibly other heads of state or government).
Contributor: Janis A. Emmanouilidis
Categories: Europe (280), Politics (375)
Words will always hurt
The potential words have to inspire people and drive events should not be underestimated but their ability to do harm should not be taken too lightly either. It is truly regrettable that at this crucial time in Greece, some of the country’s decision makers have chosen to appeal to the devil inside us rather than the better angels of our nature.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (375), Greece (482)
![Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/21/airplaneedit_800_esenbel_2110-large.jpg "Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]")
Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras held an informal dinner with some of his party’s MPs. He reportedly told them that if Greece would be able to get through a tough summer, it would “take off” in September. We are now nearing the end of October and there has been no departure for the skies. Instead, Samaras is bracing for impact.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (280), Politics (375), Economy (319), Greece (482)
![Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/15/acropolis_esenbel_900_1510-large.jpg "Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]")
House of cards (The rise and fall of Akis Tsochatzopoulos)
It was the house that did for him. Former Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos succumbed to the base desire of enshrining his wealth and potency in real estate. Hubris, however, blinded him to the dangers of choosing a property within a marble fragment’s throw of the Parthenon. On some days, the Acropolis’s shadow virtually touched the luxury apartment the PASOK veteran purchased on Athens’ most exclusive road.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (375), Society (136), Greece (482)
![Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/10/blue_esenbel_800_1010-large.jpg "Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]")
It remains a mystery
The Wall Street Journal leaked this week the minutes of an International Monetary Fund board meeting in May, 2010, just a few days before Greece signed its first bailout. The extracts reveal that there was serious concern among about a third of the country representatives, who raised serious objections about the Greek programme.
Contributor: Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Europe (280), Economy (319), Greece (482)