The Greek Current

Cyprus has emerged as a key player - particularly on the humanitarian front - as the ongoing war in Gaza and the broader crisis in the Middle East unfolds. While it has received international praise for its crucial role in providing aid to Gaza, tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border saw Cyprus face threats from Hezbollah. Professor James Ker-Lindsay, who has worked extensively on the EU, the Balkans, and Southeast Europe, including Cyprus, joins Thanos Davelis to look at how Cyprus is emerging as Europe’s outpost in the region while navigating what is a complex geopolitical position that is seeing it balance its ties between its Arab and Israeli neighbors.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:CYPRUS | Europe’s Mideast Outpost?Cyprus again offers sanctuary as Middle East violence spreadsIsrael Averts All-Out War With Hezbollah, but Its Regional Conflicts Grind OnSYRIZA standing at three-way crossroadsSYRIZA fractured in three partsBulgaria to hold another snap parliamentary election on Oct. 27, says president

Turkey is putting up roadblocks within NATO that are raising questions about whether the alliance’s largest air exercise, which Greece is preparing to host for the first time, will move forward smoothly. The heart of the issue is the Athens flight information region (FIR), whose jurisdiction Turkey does not fully recognize. This is consistent with Turkey’s broader efforts to turn the Aegean into a disputed territory. Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins Thanos Davelis to break down how Turkey’s latest actions put the alliance at risk, and should serve as a wake up call for NATO members.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:NATO air exercise in Greece faces roadblocks due to TurkeyTurkish aircraft violate Greek airspace over southeastern AegeanUAV a ‘permanent’ Aegean visitorNato must wake up to Russia’s nuclear power deal with TurkeyGreek Orthodox cemetery in Istanbul vandalizedSyria’s al-Assad says Turkey rapprochement efforts unsuccessful

Making housing more affordable is going to be one of the central themes of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair in early September. Property prices, both to buy and rent, have come to dominate the public debate over the past couple of years, as Airbnb, the Golden Visa scheme, and other factors continue to impact the market, leaving many Greeks unable to find homes in major cities like Athens and Thessaloniki. Georgia Nakou, a features editor at MacroPolis - a specialist website focused on political and economic analysis of Greek affairs, joins Thanos Davelis to look into Greece’s housing crisis and the government’s effort to put the issue front and center.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Housing tops government plans for policy reset in autumnOil tanker Sounion ‘poses environmental risk’ after Red Sea attackWater emergency action now a summer ritual in Mediterranean

This year marked 75 years since the creation of NATO, and the latest summit in Washington, DC sent a clear message that NATO is back, returning to its Cold War roots deterring the Russians and adding new members. At the same time, however, there are increasing concerns in Europe about America’s long-term commitment to their security. This has revived the notion of building up Europe’s defense capabilities. Max Bergmann, 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 (CSIS), joins Thanos Davelis to look at why this 75th anniversary is an opportunity for the US to lead the way in plotting a new course for NATO and European defense. You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:NATO Missed a Chance to Transform ItselfPlan for recovery of forests in AtticaGreece to compensate fire-stricken households near AthensGreek-flagged vessel ‘Sounion’ attacked in Red Sea

Last week Greece - and the region of Attica where Athens is located - suffered another major wildfire that threatened the suburbs of Athens and burned an area almost twice the size of Manhattan. This wildfire came a year after Greece experienced Europe’s largest ever wildfire on record, which burned over half of the Dadia National Park. John Psaropoulos joins Thanos Davelis as we return from a brief summer break to look back at the latest devastating wildfire that tore through Attica, and look at how lessons from the past can help save Greece’s forests. 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. You can find it on Substack.com.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:How lessons from past fires could help save Greece’s forests and farmlandExpert: EU, Greece should change mentality to face future wildfiresNew round of surveys begin off KasosTackling the housing shortage with vacant properties

In a recent interview with Politico, President Christodoulides said “We cannot afford to wait for a new effort, a new initiative,” when talking about the Cyprus issue. At the same time, on the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Turkish President Erdogan and Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar doubled down on their hardline position in favor of a two state solution. Menelaos Menelaou, the Greek Cypriot Negotiator for the Cyprus Problem, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss whether there is still a window of opportunity for talks to resume even as Ankara seems to be shutting the door to a solution.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Cyprus eyes chance to run EU Mediterranean policy Erdoğan dashes hopes for resumption of Cyprus talks on invasion’s 50th anniversaryCyprus rejects reports of airspace closure amid Middle East tensionsGoat plague scares Greek farmers still reeling from historic floods

A few weeks ago it looked like former President Donald Trump was in the driver’s seat of the presidential election. In the last 10 days, however, President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris essentially locked up the nomination. William Antholis, the director and CEO of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs, joins Thanos Davelis to look at how this is shaking up the presidential race in the US, and break down what President Biden’s decision - and the candidacy of Vice President Harris - means for America’s partners and allies, including Greece.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:William J. Antholis: The US election is far from decidedDrama in the US raises stakes for Greece, tooGreece nominates Tzitzikostas as EU commissionerTheodoros Tselidis Wins Bronze in Judo, Delivers Greece’s First Medal at Paris 2024Judoka Thodoris Tselidis wins Greece’s first medal at Paris Olympics

Over the past month we’ve seen reports that after more than a decade of trying to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria, Turkey’s President Erdogan is now open to resetting relations with President Bashar al-Assad. Henri Barkey, the Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Thanos Davelis to look into Erdogan’s u-turn when it comes to Assad, and break down what this could mean for the broader region, especially given the Russian and Iranian presence there.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Syria and Turkey: A path to reconciliation, or a defeat of the opposition?As Erdogan woos Assad, is Turkey-Syria reconciliation rhetoric or reality?US emphasizes importance of Prespa Agreement compliance for North MacedoniaWildfire in Greek-Bulgarian border rages for 14th day, burning 1,500 hectares

Last week, for approximately 40 hours, tensions in the Aegean hit heights we had not seen in over a year and a half as Greek and Turkish ships faced off in an area south of the Greek islands of Kassos and Karpathos. Turkish warships had deployed just outside Greece’s territorial waters in an effort to prevent an Italian research vessel from carrying out research for the future deployment of underwater cables for the Great Sea Interconnector. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to break down how this 40 hour crisis evolved and look at the broader message this incident sends about stability in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Οι 40 ώρες του συναγερμούDiplomacy helps end Aegean standoffGreece dismisses Turkish claimsTurkey renews dispute over maritime zonesFM again dismisses Turkish claims over Italian research vesselWildfires rage in Greece and Balkans after weeks of scorching weatherProbe clears Greek government agencies in spyware scandal but opposition calls it a cover-upAcrimony as wiretapping case shelved

In an escalation of rhetoric that is raising the temperature in the broader region, the last few days have seen Turkey’s President Erdogan threaten to intervene in Israel on behalf of the Palestinians, noting military interventions Turkey has made in the past in other countries. These statements came about a week after reports that Israel had foiled a major terrorist attack orchestrated from Hamas operatives in Turkey. Thanos Davelis spoke with Tyler Stapleton and Sinan Ciddi last week about this development - which once again puts Turkey’s support for Hamas in the spotlight - and explored what steps Washington and NATO can take to address Ankara’s enabling of Hamas.Tyler Stapleton is the Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action, and has served as a senior advisor on national security, foreign policy, defense, and intelligence for members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP).You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Israel Foils Hamas Terror Attack Directed by TurkeyTurkey’s President Threatens Military Action Against IsraelTurkey threatens to ‘enter’ Israel to protect PalestiniansTurkey delisting exposes financial watchdog’s blind spotWindow opens for Parthenon Sculptures’ returnGreece's Santorini bursts with tourists as locals call for a cap