Agora
Posts by Nick Malkoutzis
Greece and its lenders: Where do you start?
Since it was first recorded in 1944 by American public administrator David Lilienthal, the following anecdote has been told many times and in many ways: A traveller asks a local man for directions and, after much thought, the latter turns to the visitor and says: “My friend, I tell you; if I were you, I wouldn’t start from here.” As Greece and the eurozone remain some distance apart on how to conclude their bailout negotiations, it seems a good time to return to this tale.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (296), Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)
Sowing the seeds of anomie in Greece
In his opening speech to Labour MPs after the party’s historic election win in May 1997, Tony Blair implored the party’s lawmakers to be “whiter than white, purer than pure”. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (413), Society (150), Greece (527)
Mentioning the war so we don't have to mention the war
Fawlty Towers was never a popular show in Greece and the concept of not mentioning the war is not one familiar with Greeks. In fact, Greece is a country where history is often viewed as a collection of unresolved issues - such as the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the Second World War, the Civil War and the military dictatorship – that continue to shape the present. The sense that there has been a repeated lack of closure is prevalent at each new crisis, each key turning point in the country’s progression.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (296), Politics (413), Society (150), Greece (527)
Will the real men of unity please stand up?
At first it seemed like a harmless joke. “And now for one member state, all the men need to take off their ties,” said European Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans at the end of a recent photo shoot for the College of Commissioners in Brussels.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (296), Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)
Greece: The gathering storm
As the dust settles from Greece’s negotiations with its lenders and the arduous work of implementing their agreement begins, it is becoming increasingly evident that the next four months will be an extremely testing experience for everyone concerned.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (296), Economy (348), Greece (527)