Atlantic Community:Tag "Greece"

November 23, 2011 | Remember the Real Values of the European Project

Mikel Kotonika: With the Eurozone at the center of the global financial crisis, EU leaders are desperately trying to find a workable solution to preserve it. But if they use the imposition of a two-tier system, or other drastic measures, they will save the Eurozone at the expense of the European project as a whole.

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September 26, 2011 | Six Reasons to Save the Euro at All Costs

Soeren Keil: To understand why the members of the Eurozone need to “save” Greece from bankruptcy, it is important to think about the consequences of a possible Greek default. This would not only have an effect on Greece and the Eurozone, but put the entire EU in jeopardy. Saving Greece means saving the Euro and the European Union.

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September 16, 2011 | Can Lower Budgets Produce Greater Security Efficiency?

Christopher M Schnaubelt: Disparate political realities among European states will make integration of national forces difficult. But defense ministries can cut costs by streamlining personnel, developing capable reserves, abstaining from new missions and investing in long-term training and education.

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August 11, 2011 | Turkish Delight: A Chance to Realign With the West

James Brian Taylor: Turkey’s relations with the United States and Europe have been strained over the past two years, despite a rich history of cooperation. But the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East provides a golden opportunity for Turkey to realign itself with the US and Europe, beginning with a reconciliation with Israel.

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July 19, 2011 | EU Crisis: Return to the Language of Truth

Hans F. Bellstedt: Joschka Fischer’s call for “greater European political unification” will not help solve the EU’s ongoing debt crisis. The only way to regain the public’s trust and restore financial markets is strict fiscal austerity as a prerequisite for future sustainable growth.

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July 14, 2011 | Does Europe Have a Death Wish?

Joschka Fischer: Europeans must forge ahead with the political union now; otherwise the euro and EU integration will be undone. Europe would then lose nearly everything it has gained over a half-century from transcending nationalism. In the light of the emerging new world order, this would be a tragedy.

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February 17, 2010 | The Euro's Final Countdown?

Sylvester Eijffinger and Edin Mujagic: The euro is currently dividing the euro zone more than uniting it. The “One size fits all” policy increased tensions both internally with inflation and externally as a rebuffed currency. The 10 year-old euro is far from holding its promises.

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February 12, 2010 | Is Greece the New Lehman Brothers?

Joerg Wolf: How should the euro zone members deal with the PIIGS? Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain have big budget deficits and other economic problems that lead to speculation against the euro. How serious is it? What should be done?

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December 8, 2009 | A Big Fat Greek Financial Wedding

C. Fahrholz & A. Kern: Greece’s stated intent of selling treasury bonds solely to foreign investors, as a means to push through fiscal reforms, could result in a full-blown drama, at the expense of European taxpayers. Greece is taking this bet, under the assumption that the IMF and the Euro area will come to its rescue.

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September 2, 2009 | EU and Turkey to Mediate Balkan Tensions

Memo 18: More than a decade after the Dayton Agreement West Balkan countries are fighting over EU membership and against the resurgence of nationalist forces. These factors presently contribute to the emergence of renewed conflict potential. The European Union and Turkey have a key role to play as mediators.

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August 7, 2009 | How Will Europe Protect Itself Against the Nationalist Virus?

Wolfgang R Stock: Slovenia and Greece are currently preventing Croatia and Macedonia, two politically and economically stable countries, from entering the European Union. This blockade is unjustified and a violation against the highest principles of the EU. Brussels must cease from its indifference and act on this.

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August 6, 2009 | The Blocked Bloc

Tomislav Marsic : The recent Slovenian veto to an advancement of EU accession negotiations with Croatia accompanied by Greek efforts to constrain any EU-Macedonian rapprochement have deeply altered the inter-state relations of all involved. European solidarity and long-term strategic thinking are crucial to repairing the increasingly fragile bonds.

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April 30, 2008 | Gazprom Hardens Its Grip on Europe

Marek Swierczynski: Greece and Russia signed an agreement to build the southern branch of the South Stream natural gas pipeline. President Putin’s last victory hardens Gazprom’s grip on Europe and makes any energy diversification projects more difficult. Unless the EU looks at the map and acts.

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March 7, 2008 | NATO Enlargement and Alliance Principles

Dora Bakoyannis: Greece supports the enlargement of NATO in the Western Balkans with the invitations to Croatia and Albania, but the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s “intransigeant stance and its actions of an irredentist and nationalistic logic” are unacceptable.

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December 5, 2007 | "Thessaloniki 2": European Incentives for the Western Balkans

Alexandros P. Mallias: A clear prospect of EU membership is the most effective tool in helping countries of the western Balkans overcome their current challenges. Mallias presents a new strategic agenda for the western Balkans building on the Thessaloniki Agenda of 2003.

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Global Must Read Articles

November 8, 2011 | "Credibility" Gap in Merkozy's Eurozone Strategy

Merkel and Sarkozy’s shifting strategy on the Euro crisis is undermining the credibility of the EU and hurting investment. ++ Suddenly introducing foreign exchange risk to the Eurozone has frightened the very market forces needed to rescue debt-ridden Greece and Italy. ++ This has created a vicious circle of political instability which further harms investment. ++ If it is to survive, the

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November 7, 2011 | "Greek Spring" Shows EU Elitism Can Go No Further

Far from being an expression of democracy, the now-scrapped Greek referendum was a power play by the Greek government against its own people. ++ The referendum’s failure highlights how, like in the Arab Spring, Western governments too can fall if they abandon democratic principles. ++ The paternalism of Germany and France during this crisis is inappropriate in a union of supposedly

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October 27, 2011 | Eurozone Summit Fails to Address Unemployment

As Eurozone leaders agreed to continue with austerity and forced the banks to write off 50 percent of Greece’s debt, the effect of these measures will hardly be felt by Southern European countries plagued by unemployment. ++ Medium and small businesses are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy resulting in massive layoffs and a drastic drop in productivity. ++ Bailouts and austerity measures may

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October 26, 2011 | More Productivity, Less Austerity Will Save Europe

The lack of a common fiscal policy is what allowed the Eurozone debacle to occur. ++ Europe has at the same time experienced extremely low levels of growth compared to the US and emerging markets, forcing it to accrue debt to prevent living standards from deteriorating. ++ Germany’s austerity plan will do little to stimulate growth in Southern Europe. ++ Europe requires wide-reaching structural

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September 2, 2011 | Eurozone Success is Up to Germany

Germany faces a choice in the eurozone crisis: allow the creation of a full-blown debt union, or let the euro fail. ++ Berlin has benefitted hugely from the currency union, with the economic surge of the last decade attributable largely to exports to other eurozone countries. But there is also much skepticism about the “morality” of bailing out Southern European countries. ++ The

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August 8, 2011 | Doomed to an Economic Double-Dip?

The world economy risks a double-dip, a second severe recession, thanks to an EU debt crisis, fiscal instability in the US, and slow manufacturing seemingly everywhere else. Policy makers are quickly running out of options to trigger recovery. ++ Now, economies that still have market access should “introduce new short-term fiscal stimulus while committing to medium-term fiscal

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July 22, 2011 | Europe Must Share the Debt Burden

Thursday’s emergency EU summit created an immediate rescue package for Greece and a sliver of hope for Italy and Spain, but the euro’s stability in the long run depends on the taxpayers. ++ The heavily devalued national bonds of indebted states should be replaced by collective eurobonds, backed by all eurozone governments, to stabilize and attract investment. ++ This is unpopular

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July 6, 2011 | What is Wrong with Germany?

Germany’s economy is humming, its exports are at an all time high, and its corporations are among the most dynamic in the world. ++ And yet, Germany finds itself isolated from the global community. It sits on the sidelines while its closest allies intervene in Libya, it balks at helping Greece and it rejects Turkey’s bid to enter the EU. In other words, Germany is afraid of changing

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June 30, 2011 | Greek Austerity Drama

It is still far from clear how the Greek saga will conclude. ++ The adoption of the austerity package sparked riots and sharpened the question of whether “the increasingly rebellious Greek public” is ready to meet the severe cuts. ++ In case of a default the country is likely to be excluded from the eurozone and markets’ attention would switch to the next “weakest

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June 24, 2011 | EU: the Union of Shattered Dreams

Greek debt crisis questions the existence of the EU and outlines the instability of a monetary union which is not backed by political and economic unions. ++ “Dismantling of the welfare and redistributive systems” stir populist sentiments. ++ The case is exacerbated by the failure of the Schengen treaty and the absence of common security and foreign policies. ++ Whereas the

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June 9, 2011 | Greece: to Pay or not to Pay

Germany’s decision “to ask Greece to offer its debt holders a seven-year term extension” draws more attention to the deep economic, social and political deadlock of the heavily indebted state. ++ Against the background of ingrained wide-spread corruption, loss of export competitiveness, enormous price rise, which entailed Greece’s accession to the EU, and the

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April 14, 2011 | Greece's Democratic Deficit is Deepening

Greece’s major problem may be its lawlessness rather than astronomical levels of public debt. ++ Greece’s Communist Party and the “anarcho-Stalinist Coalition of the Radical Left” believe that by destroying Greece’s economic and democratic institutions, they are bringing the revolution nearer. ++ Unless Greece’s mainstream political parties rise to the challenge and restore the rule of law,

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May 3, 2010 | EU Needs Culture Change, not Just Greece

Greek PM Papandreou promised to change the financial culture that tolerated pervasive corruption and tax evasion. ++ This week will show whether the financial markets trust him. ++ “Austerity” goes “against the freewheeling, boisterous national spirit that makes Greece such a delightful place to visit.” ++ A culture change in Brussels is equally necessary so that Europe has a union in more than

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March 24, 2010 | Eurozone Seeks a Leader: Merkel Says "Nein Danke"

“The European Union has been unable to deliver because Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Europe’s biggest, richest country, has been unwilling to lead.” ++ Greece has adopted tough new austerity measures designed to get its fiscal house in order, but thus far Germany has refused to provide the crucial loan guarantees Greece is seeking. ++ If Chancellor Merkel is unwilling to provide such

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March 4, 2010 | Helping Greece: Reason Over Wrath

The Greek deficit revealed two major flaws in the European integration machine: firstly the sheer absence of a budget deficit watchdog and secondly the lack of either support or sanction if one member state eventually goes bankrupt. ++ Germany, having sacrificed much to the Euro’s implementation, is right to be angry. ++ But rationality should overcome wrath, for the cost of inaction might be

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February 18, 2010 | Why Bailing Out Greece is Not Debatable

Unlike the US, the EU is not a federal union and therefore cannot afford to bail out one of its members. ++ Comming to the aid of individual members of the currency union is simply forbidden. ++ The ongoing debate about the possible Greek bail out plan is not relevant. ++ From the starting point, the eurozone was neither economically efficient for all members nor sustainable in the long run when

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February 15, 2010 | Eurozone: One Size Does Not Fit All

Spanish and Greek deficits are a godsend for advocators of fiscal discipline. ++ This is just one aspect of the problem. ++ European elites are being blamed for ignoring signs that proved Europe was not ready for one currency. ++ The inflexibility of the Euro is preventing the Spanish economy for instance, from recovering. ++ The breakup of the Euro is neither likely nor feasible. ++ The

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March 24, 2009 | Realism Still Carries the Day

The election of President Obama created hope that realism will cease to determine US foreign policy. ++ But the changing attitude of Obama towards the Armenian genocide prioritizes American-Turkish relations—and American national interest—over human rights and international justice. ++ The emphasis on the strategic interest reveals that it would be “naive” for the Greek

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March 13, 2009 | Social Cohesion Depends on Functioning Economies

The December 2008 events in Greece were spurred by the shooting of a teenager by the police, yet have deeper roots in the dismal social, economic and political conditions in which the Greek youth finds itself. ++ As the financial crisis challenges what people take for granted, increased crime rates and illegal migration make the ground fertile for social unrest. ++ If the current situation

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December 15, 2008 | "Why Greece Is in Turmoil"

The riots in Greece are rooted in young people’s dissatisfaction with government policy. ++ Low wages, high prices and fear of unemployment are causing concern. ++ New Democracy and PASOK, which have ruled Greece for the past 34 years, cannot offer solutions. ++ Leftist parties “could be the ones to pick up the pieces.” ++ However, as they “pick up the scent of power”

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June 3, 2008 | Gridlock Persists in Macedonian Name Game

Compromise has yet to be reached on the issue of Macedonia’s official name and national identity, as Greece recently blocked the country from joining NATO, out of fears that a recognized Macedonian nation state would mobilize separatist sentiment among Greece’s Macedonian minority. ++ A weakened Macedonian position would in turn activate Albanian and Bulgarian minority claims and destabilize that

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