The timeless appeal of The Odyssey, the Iran crisis, lessons from SYRIZA's rise and fall, and the Turkey-Egypt rapprochement
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey hit the big screen this week. Whether you are a fan of Nolan’s work or not, the reactions and debates we’ve seen across the board remind us of Homer’s immortal appeal, and why the story of Odysseus’ return to Ithaca has captivated audiences around the world for three millennia.
As Daniel Mendelsohn wrote recently, “The Odyssey is a remarkably contemporary story not only because of its hero, but because of the nature of the world around him..” a “postwar world where the old certainties have disappeared.” Those watching current events unfold may have a similar feeling these days.
With the ceasefire with Iran breaking down, we’re left with a good amount of uncertainty over what comes next. This is true for the Strait of Hormuz, for the Gulf, and by extension for the Eastern Mediterranean.
Bringing us to Greece, this uncertainty is playing out on the political scene, where debates about early elections are picking up steam, while SYRIZA, which was once in government, has been in free fall over the last years. A new round of resignations this week has many pondering if the party has completed its historical cycle.
In the spirit of Odysseus’ travels across the Mediterranean, we’re also heading to Turkey, where Ankara and Cairo took steps to deepen their ties when it comes to their defense cooperation and the defense industry.
Daniel Mendelsohn, Elisa Catalano Ewers, Nikos Konstantaras, and Vassilis Nedos join Thanos Davelis as we look into the timeless appeal of The Odyssey, the collapse of the ceasefire with Iran and its wider ramifications, the lessons from SYRIZA’s rise and fall, and the rapprochement between Turkey and Egypt.
A little more info on our guests:
Daniel Mendelsohn is the author of “An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic”, whose translation of "The Odyssey” was published in paperback this spring.
Elisa Catalano Ewers is a Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Nikos Konstandaras is a columnist with Kathimerini.
Vassilis Nedos is Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor.
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