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On Sunday Greeks will head to the polls for a second time in just over a month. With the election just days away, New Democracy is seeking the crucial 40% threshold that would secure a safe outright majority to form a single-party government. In the meantime, opposition parties SYRIZA and PASOK are battling over who will win over Greece’s center left, as SYRIZA’s defeat in May raised a number...

12 λεπτά

Turkey’s Blue Homeland doctrine is receiving renewed attention, as both Turkish President Erdogan and his new ministers made clear references to this doctrine following his reelection last month. This revisionist doctrine has come to represent Turkish claims on land and sea, and is part of the promotion of Erdogan’s broader neo-Ottoman and neo-imperial agenda. Expert Constantinos Filis, the...

13 λεπτά

Kathimerini launched the "Reimagine Tourism in Greece" initiative last week, an attempt to explore the future of tourism in Greece and the need for sustainability in the industry. The timing couldn’t be better as tourists are already filling the streets of Athens and other popular destinations to enjoy their holidays in Greece. While tourists flock to Greece, however, Greeks are finding it...

10 λεπτά

Despite the pressure on Turkey to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership bid, with the US saying the sooner this happens the better, Turkey’s President Erdogan poured cold water on rising hopes that a deal might be near. While the US is keen on Sweden joining NATO, Erdogan is keen on getting US F-16s, and it seems some have hinted that a quid pro quo could be on the cards. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins...

13 λεπτά

At least 78 people died and hundreds more are missing at sea, presumed dead, after a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy capsized in international waters south-west of Greece early on Wednesday. This is one of Europe's worst migrant disasters, and is just the latest case of smugglers packing vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe....

13 λεπτά

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, a treaty that defined the borders of modern Turkey, and is a key point of reference in Greece’s relations with Turkey. Over the last years Turkey has taken a number of steps that not only raise questions about the treaty, but also attempt to question Greek sovereignty. Despite Erdogan’s attempt at a rebrand...

15 λεπτά

Turkey’s President Erdogan recently secured his reelection, but he now has to find a way to avoid what appears to be an imminent financial crisis. Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies and his recent effort to juice up the economy ahead of the May elections have effectively pushed Turkey’s finances to a breaking point, and the country is on the edge of running out of usable foreign exchange...

11 λεπτά

Based on the results from the May election, New Democracy is once again set to win a comfortable majority later this month - something the latest polls confirm as well. As we approach the June 25th elections, the questions then are whether this will be enough for New Democracy to form a single-party government, and what the opposition will look like as PASOK and SYRIZA battle for dominance of...

12 λεπτά

After years of bickering and gridlock, EU countries have finally agreed on a major migration deal that could overhaul the EU’s asylum system. Migration has been one of the bloc’s longest-running political issues, and some have described the breakthrough this week in Brussels as “historic”. The EU will now try to finalize the whole package ahead of the European elections next June. Efi...

11 λεπτά

With Turkey’s President Erdogan securing reelection, and Greece’s Mitsotakis on the path toward a win this month that will secure his party a majority, there seems to be an effort afoot to bring both leaders to the negotiating table. Constanitnos Filis, the Director of the Institute of Global Affairs and an Associate Professor at the American College of Greece, joins Thanos Davelis to look at...

10 λεπτά

Turkey’s economy is at the top of the agenda as recently re-elected President Erdogan announced his new cabinet. This was clear from the appointment of former economic czar Mehmet Şimşek - an advocate for a return to orthodox economic policy - as Treasury and Finance minister. Despite this move, and the message of reform and normalization that Erdogan hopes to convey with this new cabinet,...

14 λεπτά

This week the UN celebrated World Environment Day, placing an emphasis on plastic pollution in the world’s seas. This has put the focus on the Mediterranean Sea as well, one of the most impacted seas when it comes to plastic pollution. As the UN looks to convene a global treaty conference to cut plastic pollution and recycle, a group of Greek fishermen have found an innovative way to remove and...

16 λεπτά

Now that President Erdogan has secured reelection, the Biden administration is stepping up its efforts to pressure the Turkish President to lift his veto over Sweden’s accession to NATO. While Secretary of State Antony Blinken has publicly denied any link between Sweden’s NATO accession and the delivery of F-16s, President Biden has suggested a quid pro quo. Expert Michael Rubin, a Senior...

10 λεπτά

Cyprus is making a new push to cement energy ties with Israel, and there have been recent reports about a pipeline that would link Israel with Cyprus where gas will be liquefied and exported abroad to Europe. The idea comes as Eastern Mediterranean gas has seen renewed interest with Europe looking to wean itself off Russian energy. Both Israel and Egypt have emerged as net energy exporters, and...

15 λεπτά

There are some who hope that with the election behind him, Erdogan will change, leaving the door open for a reset in relations with the West and the US. This is nonsense, as Endy Zemenides, HALC’s Executive Director, argues in Kathimerini, warning that Erdogan will only change if he is forced to. Endy Zemenides joins Thanos Davelis to discuss why if there is to be an opportunity for a reset in...

16 λεπτά

Efforts to defuse a crisis in Kosovo intensified on Wednesday as ethnic Serbs continued their protests over the installation of ethnic Albanian mayors in a northern town where recent clashes with NATO-led peacekeepers sparked fears of renewed conflict. This unrest has caught the attention of the international community, with the US and the EU both criticizing Pristina for destabilizing the...

17 λεπτά

Erdogan officially won re-election this past Sunday, defeating his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage points in a runoff election that international observers noted was conducted on an unlevel playing field that “contributed to an unjustified advantage” for Erdogan. Expert Alan Makovsky joins Thanos Davelis to explore what we should now expect from a newly emboldened Erdogan on both...

18 λεπτά

Rep. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Politico this week that he is generally open to selling F-16s to Turkey, even if President Erdogan is reelected on Sunday. Rep. McCaul is one of four Congressional leaders who must all green-light the $20 billion transaction for it to go through. McCaul hastened to add that all four of the lawmakers currently agree on...

10 λεπτά

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ landslide victory on Sunday night in Greece’s elections had many talking about a political earthquake. The markets seemed to take note as well, with Greek stocks and government bonds rallying sharply following New Democracy’ win as Mitsotakis is keen to implement a pro-investment and pro-reform agenda. Wolfango Piccoli, co-founder of risk analysis company...

11 λεπτά

This week Sinan Oğan, the nationalist “kingmaker” who came third in Turkey’s elections, endorsed President Erdogan. Having won just over 5% of the vote in the first round, his voters could hold the key to victory on Sunday in Turkey’s runoff for the presidency. In the meantime, Turkey’s opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is in the fight of his life, and the question remains whether he has a...

14 λεπτά