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Last year in August the explosion that rocked Beirut turned everyone’s attention to Lebanon. French President Macron visited, and there were efforts to stabilize both the country’s politics and its economy. Despite this, Lebanon is dangerously close to becoming a failed state. The dire situation in Lebanon was the focus of a recent press briefing organized by the advocacy organization In...

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Greece 2.0 will mark the largest inflow of funds that Greece has ever seen, with some observers pointing out that it may be more important even than the Marshall Plan was for Greece. While this plan aims to offer a blueprint for Greece’s transformation into a greener and more efficient economy, there are skeptics who ask whether the plan goes far enough. There is also speculation about early...

16 λεπτά

Merve Tahiroglu, the Turkey program coordinator at the Project on Middle East Democracy, joins us to talk about her latest piece in Brookings’ TechStream blog about the social media app Clubhouse, its role in the recent student protests at Istanbul’s Bogazici University, it’s broader impact on Turkey’s political scene, and its transformation from a safe space for critics into another digital...

17 λεπτά

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis travelled to Libya on Tuesday aiming to restart relations with the war-torn country. During his visit, he announced the reopening of the Greek Embassy in Tripoli, and called on the interim government to scrap an agreement on maritime boundaries signed with Turkey in 2019, which Athens says violates international law. His visit came as other EU leaders...

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Turkish authorities on Monday detained 10 former admirals after a group of more than 100 retired top navy officers issued a statement declaring their commitment to the 1936 Montreux Convention, an international treaty that regulates shipping through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. The statement was issued amid a debate over whether Turkish President Erdogan would pull the country out of...

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This week Greece decided to relax some of its lockdown measures, even as it’s seeing a record number of infections that’s straining hospitals to their limits. The government followed up on this decision by unveiling its roadmap for the country’s gradual return to normal economic and social activities. Prime Minister Mitsotakis also announced that Greece will be stepping up its vaccination...

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Prime Minister Mitsotakis presented the key principles of a massive economic recovery and resilience plan - or Greece 2.0 as it’s called - on Wednesday. Mitsotakis described the plan as a game-changer for the country and as “a bridge to the post-COVID-19 era”. The government says this plan will boost economic growth by as much as seven percentage points over the next six years, and create tens...

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The issue of the Parthenon marbles was back in the headlines earlier in March, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a point-blank rejection of the sculptures being returned to Greece. Johnson’s statement comes as Athens has stepped up its campaign to reunite the Parthenon marbles in light of this year’s celebration of Greece’s bicentennial. Professor Angelos Chaniotis joins The...

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EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson held a second day of meetings today in Athens, where she met with Greece’s prime minister and foreign minister to talk about migration issues. Her visit to Lesvos, Samos, and Athens have put migration back in the spotlight, and come as the EU is working on a new migration pact. Journalist Nektaria Stamouli joins The Greek Current to talk about this...

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On Monday EU home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi travelled to Lesvos and Samos, where they visited the migrant facilities on the islands. During a joint press conference, Johansson announced that the EU would provide Greece with €250m of funding for five new migrant facilities on the islands of Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros. Her visit to...

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In a recent piece in the Washington Monthly, Paul Glastris explores how American popular support for the Greek revolution sparked a debate in the US over the balance between realism and idealism in American foreign policy. He argues that the need to find the balance between principle and practicality in foreign policy is as great today as it was 200 years ago, pointing out that there are a...

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Professor Alexander Kitroeff recently gave a lecture on American Philhellenism and the Greek fight for independence that kicked off 200 years ago. As we celebrate Greece’s bicentennial today, Professor Kitroeff joins us on our podcast to talk about the links between the Greek revolution and the United States of America, from the philhellenes who travelled to Greece to join the fight, to the...

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This week, Brussels is at the center of a number of important developments. These include the upcoming EU summit where European leaders will examine the bloc’s relationship with Turkey, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with the foreign ministers of NATO in his first official trip outside the US, which took place on Tuesday. Amidst these developments, there’s an ongoing debate on...

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Over the weekend, Turkey’s President Erdogan sacked the country’s central bank governor, and pulled out of the Istanbul Convention, a treaty to protect women. These moves stunned financial markets and Western allies, with the Turkish lira falling more than 8% against the U.S. dollar on Monday. The move raises concerns about a return to unconventional monetary policies favored by Erdogan as the...

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On Friday, In Defense of Christians hosted an event focusing on the national security concerns and human rights violations in Turkey that need to be addressed by the United States. This event was especially timely as human rights in Turkey are back in the spotlight — both with the alleged human rights reforms that Erdogan is proposing and the crackdown on opposition lawmakers and parties. Since...

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This week a federal appeals court reinstated guilty verdicts on Bijan Rafiekian, the business partner of former Trump administration National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, over the pair’s lobbying for Turkish interests in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaign. During the Turkey-related work, Flynn was a top adviser to Trump's presidential campaign. After the 2016 election, Rafiekian...

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During an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Greece would be prepared for tourism this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His statement coincided with an announcement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who officially unveiled the EU’s plan for a vaccine certificate. Meanwhile, Greece issued its first 30-year government bond...

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In the latest crackdown on Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party, the HDP, Turkish authorities on Wednesday stripped Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a prominent HDP legislator and human rights advocate, of his parliamentary seat. Meanwhile, a prosecutor filed a case with Turkey’s highest court, seeking the HDP’s disbandment. The HDP has come under intensified pressure recently, with the far-right...

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Greece and Turkey began another round of exploratory talks in Athens on Tuesday, seeking common ground on a long-standing maritime boundaries dispute. Leading up to today’s talks, Turkey slammed Greece, Cyprus, and Israel over the Euro-Asia interconnector, and has also been attempting to undermine Greece’s relations with Egypt and Israel. The exploratory talks in Athens also took place as EU...

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On Sunday the AP ran a story highlighting the continued silent treatment the Biden administration is giving to Turkey’s President Erdogan. This story rounds out what has been a tough week for Turkey in Washington, where it got a lot of pushback from both Congress and the administration. This included a Senate push for the administration to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, the State...

15 λεπτά