The Greek Current

All of Europe’s eyes were on Hungary this past weekend, where voters, in a historic election, brought Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power to an end.  Orban’s close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his blocking of multiple EU initiatives - including an urgently needed €90 billion loan for Ukraine - had frustrated many across Europe. At the same time, he presided over a system that saw his party gradually gain control of much of the judiciary, bureaucracy, media, universities, and the economy, which sounded alarms for those concerned about democratic backsliding.  Beyond Europe, this result was also on the White House’s radar, and Vice President J.D. Vance even traveled to Hungary to campaign for Orban - the European leader with the closest ties to President Trump. Orban’s sweeping defeat raises new questions for European far right populist parties, and its leaders are beginning to question the value of their ties to the MAGA movement. Since our focus is on elections this episode, Greece, which is scheduled to hold national elections in 2027 is also gradually shifting into campaign mode. As parties jostle for a larger share of the electorate, the government looks to be bracing for a number of post-Easter challenges that include rising prices and the ongoing and evolving farm subsidies case. Steven Erlanger, Simon Nixon, Jennifer McCoy, and Nick Malkoutzis join Thanos Davelis as we look at Hungary’s landmark election, breaking down what it means for Europe and for the war in Ukraine, the message it sends to those concerned about democratic backsliding in the West, and what takeaways there are for Greece as the country inches toward national elections next year. A little more info on our guests: Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times covering Europe. Simon Nixon is an independent journalist, Kathimerini columnist, and the publisher of the Wealth of Nations newsletter. Dr. Jennifer McCoy is a Nonresident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is also Regent’s Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University in Atlanta and a research affiliate at the Democracy Institute of Central European University, Budapest, Hungary. Nick Malkoutzis is the co-founder and editor of Macropolis.gr. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

Recently we marked 77 years since the NATO alliance was founded. Instead of celebrating this milestone, however, President Trump’s comments slamming NATO over its reluctance to help the US secure the Straits of Hormuz, including calling the alliance a “paper tiger” and saying NATO allies were “tested” and they “failed”, have left allies wondering if the future of the alliance is in doubt. Given President Trump’s statements, could a US withdrawal from NATO be in the cards, and what would it mean for the US and for allied countries like Greece?  James Lindsay and Ino Afentouli join Thanos Davelis as we break down why NATO matters in a world of increasing great power rivalry, what’s at stake for the US, and why it’s critical for Greece, Southeastern Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean. This week we’re also digging into Greek history as Greece recently commemorated the 200th anniversary of the heroic exodus of the Greeks from the besieged city of Messolonghi during the Greek Revolution. We break down this story with Professor Alexander Kitroeff who explains why it was a pivotal moment for the Greek Revolution, how it galvanized philhellenes around the world, and why this story still resonates today. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we’re highlighting one of HALC’s earliest members, Harry Koulos. A distinguished attorney, Harry has been named one of Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch since 2024. He honed his skills as a clerk in Federal court and at one of the biggest law firms in the US, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, before taking his expertise to Kibler Fowler & Cave, where he currently practices. A distinguished leader, Harry’s passion for the law is equal to his passion for his Hellenic identity and the community. A little more info on our guests: James Lindsay is the Mary and David Boies distinguished senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. Ino Afentouli is the Senior Policy Advisor and Head of the Observatory of Geopolitics and Diplomacy at ELIAMEP. Alexander Kitroeff is a professor of history with an expertise in Greece and the diaspora. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

This past weekend, with Easter celebrations around the corner, Christians in Syria were once again the target of attacks that have rocked their dwindling community. This was the latest in a string of attacks since the fall of the Assad regime that have targeted members of the country’s Alawite, Druze and Christian communities, and many minorities - indigenous to the region - are asking if there is space for them in the Syria that’s emerging under President al-Sharaa.  This attack also sounded alarms in Athens, and Greece is working to ensure that the protection of Christian populations in the Middle East remains on the international agenda. Aside from Syria, Greece is also concerned about Lebanon, where thousands of Christians have departed in recent years, and has raised the issue of access to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem during Easter, which made international headlines recently. These are all issues highlighted in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) 2026 report, which also focuses on the troubling religious freedom conditions in another country in the region, Turkey. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, USCIRF is once again reiterating that the US place Turkey on its Special Watch List. Vicky Hartzler, Nadine Maenza, Vassilis Nedos, and Alexia Kalaitzi join Thanos Davelis this week as we look into USCIRF’s 2026 report and Turkey’s problematic record on religious freedom, the plight of Christians in Syria in the wake of another attack on this vulnerable community, and how Greece is working to ensure that the protection of Christian populations in the Middle East remains on the agenda. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, this week we’re putting the spotlight on Dean Alonistiotis, a long-time member of HALC with a strong commitment to public service and his Chicago community. Dean’s work has taken him from the city of Chicago, where he served as Director of Economic Development for the City Treasurer's Office, to his current position as Chief of Staff for Illinois State Representative Kim du Buclet. A little more info on our guests: Vicky Hartzler is the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and a former member of the US House of Representatives. Nadine Maenza is the co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and a former chair of USCIRF. Vassilis Nedos is Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor. Alexia Kalaitzi is an award-winning journalist and features reporter for Kathimerini. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

Yiannis Tsakalos, tourism pro with 30+ years shaping Greek travel strategy. John Psaropoulos, independent journalist covering Greek politics and regional policy. Nikos Vettas, economist and IOBE director tracking macro and public finance. They discuss energy dependence, rising fuel costs and government relief. They examine tourism behavior shifts, booking hesitation, operational risks, and scenarios for travel demand.

With the war in Iran dragging on, its ripple effects are being felt around the world. Beyond the clear questions around regional security, stretching from the Middle East to Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, we are also in the midst of what could be an unprecedented and escalating global energy crisis as strikes on international shipping in the strait of Hormuz, which is critical to the oil and gas industry, have essentially shut this vital chokepoint. The war is also testing transatlantic unity, as President Trump warned in a recent interview with the Financial Times that “it will be very bad for the future of NATO” if European nations do not join the US in reopening the strait of Hormuz. So far, the message from European leaders is that this isn’t Europe’s war. Despite this message, developments in the Middle East impact Europe, and the case of Cyprus is not only raising questions in Brussels about the EU’s ability to defend its own members, but in Washington as well, where the recent targeting of Cyprus is renewing efforts to permanently end the Cyprus arms embargo. Ian Lesser, Zissis Marmarelis, Damian Murphy, and Endy Zemenides join Thanos Davelis this week as we look into Trump’s calls for Europe to join the US in the Straits of Hormuz, the unfolding global energy crisis and what it means for Greece, and why now is the time to end the Cyprus arms embargo. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we’re highlighting Lexy Prodromos, an emerging leader in the Greek-American community, where she is part of HALC’s class of Leadership 2030 fellows, and a recognized leader when it comes to blockchain technology who is now making waves both in the US and internationally as COO at the Prodromos Stem Cell Institute. A little more info on our guests: Ian Lesser is the vice president and Brussels chief of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Dr. Zissis Marmarelis is a Stavros Niarchos Foundation Academy Fellow at Chatham House with a focus on the geopolitics of energy. Damian Murphy is the senior vice president for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress. Endy Zemenides is HALC's executive director. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

This week kicked off with Turkey announcing the deployment of a number of fighter jets to the occupied part of Cyprus, a move that not only represents a significant escalation in the militarization of the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus has already been targeted by Iranian-made drones, but that may also violate US law. This isn’t the only thing putting Cyprus in the headlines this week. Axios and the Financial Times reported Cyprus could potentially mediate talks between Israel and Lebanon after violence broke out between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. Turkey’s moves in the Eastern Mediterranean aren’t the only thing worrying analysts and observers. Developments on the domestic front are also keeping those watching the region on alert, as the trial of Ekrem Imamoglu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, kicked off this week. Imamoglu’s trial is largely seen as politically motivated and an effort to prevent him from challenging President Erdogan. Sinan Ciddi, Elisa Ewers, Lisel Hintz, and Henri Barkey join Thanos Davelis this week as we take a closer look at Turkey’s decision to deploy fighter jets to the occupied part of Cyprus, Israel’s escalating offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the trial of Ekrem Imamoglu. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we’re spotlighting Eleni Delimpaltadaki Janis, a founding member of HALC with a career that spans across government and the private sector. This includes serving as Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and working to transform and solve some of the world’s most persistent socio-economic problems as a founder of Equivico. Stay tuned as we dig into her story. A little more info on our guests: Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and director of its Turkey program. Elisa Ewers is a senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Lisel Hintz is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Henri Barkey is an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University (Emeritus). You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

Given the incredible feedback we’ve gotten for our "I am HALC" profiles, we will re-release each feature as an individual episode so that you can easily find them and share them. Today, we’re kicking off with our first “I am HALC” profile from January 15th, 2026, where we put the spotlight on Dr. George Chiampas, someone who is not just a national, but a global leader in emergency and sports medicine - whether it’s with US soccer, the Blackhawks, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Marathon, and now the MLS - and is at the core of the work HALC does.

On the last day of February the United States and Israel launched a major assault on Iran, killing the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sounding alarm bells across the region. Those sirens also went off in Cyprus, which saw Iranian-made drones target Britain’s Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, prompting a response from Greece and other European partners who deployed ships, jets, and air defense systems to Cyprus. The strikes on Iran also caught European leaders unprepared, and there are many questions - which we will dig into - about whether Europe can play a constructive role here, or whether Washington has relegated it to the role of spectator. At the same time, in another major development this week, French President Emanuel Macron announced that France - one of only two nuclear powers in Europe - would boost its nuclear arsenal and extend deterrence to European allies - including Greece. Laurence Norman, Max Bergmann, Nektaria Stamouli, Vassilis Nedos, and Eleni Ekmektsioglou, join Thanos Davelis this week as we look at the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, what this crisis means for Europe, Greece and Cyprus, while breaking down the significance of President Macron’s historic update of France’s nuclear strategy, including how it will impact Greece. A little more info on our guests: Laurence Norman is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who has covered Iran, Europe, and this ongoing crisis. Max Bergmann is the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Nektaria Stamouli is the deputy editor in chief of Kathimerini's English Edition and Politico's Eastern Mediterranean correspondent.  Vassilis Nedos is Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor. Eleni Ekmektsioglou is a Policy fellow with the British American Security Information Council where she leads a project on emerging technologies and the future of anti-submarine warfare, is a non-resident fellow with ELIAMEP, and a member of the IFRI nuclear strategy network.

This week marked 4 years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the start of a war that served as a wakeup call for Europe and the West. Since then, we’ve seen Europe take drastic steps to cut its ties to Russian gas, redrawing the region’s energy map. Greece has played, and continues to play, a key role in this story. At the same time, questions remain about European security, the continued Russian threat, and whether the Trump administration can deliver a negotiated peace. Finally, the war in Ukraine also brought the world’s attention to a murkier side of the Kremlin’s playbook, and that’s the weaponization of the Orthodox Church and its campaign to undermine the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, Charles Kupchan, Elena Lazarou, and Aristotle Papanikolaou join Thanos Davelis this week for a deep dive into how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago has changed Europe, reshaped the region’s energy map, and impacted the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Orthodoxy around the world. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we’re putting the spotlight on Andreas Akaras, looking at his time on Capitol Hill and his work bringing Turkey to justice over the attack by Turkish President Erdogan’s bodyguards against US protesters in Washington, DC. A little more info on our guests: Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. Elena Lazarou is the Director General of ELIAMEP and an expert specializing in EU foreign policy, global geopolitics, transatlantic relations, and security and defence issues. Amb. Geoffrey Pyatt is former US ambassador to Greece and Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources. Aristotle Papanikolaou is a Professor of Theology and the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture. He is Co-founding Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

Over the past weeks we’ve seen some major developments in the region, with Greece stepping into the limelight. These include Greece’s announcement that it will send a special battalion to participate in the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, its decision to join the Board of Peace as an observer, and a key briefing hosted by the Eastern Mediterranean Knesset Caucus bringing together legislators and experts from Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and the US. At the same time, we’ve also seen Greece’s defense ties with Israel come under the spotlight as Athens looks to grow its own defense industrial base. Tom Ellis, John Psaropoulos, Gregg Roman, and Endy Zemenides join Thanos Davelis this week as we dig into Greece’s decision to be part of the Gaza Stabilization Force and the Board of Peace, deepening Greek-Israeli defense ties, and the challenges and opportunities for the 3+1 partnership between Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and the US. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we’re taking a look at one of HALC’s emerging leaders and Leadership 2030 fellows, Alexis Nash, exploring how advocacy - on Hellenic issues and in her professional life - has become a key part of her story.  A little more info on our guests: Tom Ellis is the editor in chief of Kathimerini's English Edition. John Psaropoulos is an independent journalist and Al Jazeera's correspondent in southeast Europe. He publishes Hellenica, a weekly deep dive into Greek current affairs and history that you can find on Substack.com. Gregg Roman is executive director of the Middle East Forum. Endy Zemenides is executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.