Comments on: The Crisis in Greece: Tragedy Without Catharsis

By: MScott

MScott — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:54:00 +0000

I find most compelling the fact that your earlier groundbreaking studies – Bureaucratism as a Method of Sociopolitical Control in Greece – illustrate clearly the potential of the present tragic outcome – an overstuffed bureaucracy based on political patronage, a high inflation rate, and an economy based to heavily on tourism without an industrial base. Add in further corruption, no powerful will for change at the top, and frost this with the Siemens technology fiasco for the Olympics which was too complex to ever be fully implemented, yet cost millions (more?) in the” developmental progress” payments.

By: Silke

Silke — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:45:00 +0000

Jeff suggested that I repost this here, since he was not sure Minas reads facebook posts, so here it is.

Actually, one addition and question to you, MInas – I was wondering, given the unity between Merkel and Sarkozy, why is it that Germans are such a target in Greece, but not the French so much….

While I agree with many of the points about German business interests in Greece, I wanted to correct one aspect the authors seems to have misunderstood. Showing the Acropolis on sale on a frontpage was actually an illustration of the outrageous demands for privatization posed to Greece. German reporting (and political debate about the topic in general) on the Greek crisis has been far from streamlined (ie only depicting the Greeks as lazy and unwilling to agree to severe austerity measures). But these sophistications do not seem to actually have made it into the Greek public debates. So, I would actually like to see a layer of analysis added to the conversation why blaming THE Germans and in particular A. Merkel has been so opportune, it appears, and in whose interest that is.

By: Empressinexile

Empressinexile — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:16:00 +0000

Excellent and thoughtful analysis — I spent two weeks in Greece this past summer, speaking to many educated, hardworking Greeks, trying to make sense of what was happening there, and I came to many of the same conclusions.

Greece is my ancestral homeland and I am heartsick about the situation there, but I also know that many non-Greeks might have trouble understanding how this crisis evolved. Bravo to the author for a piece well written, one that goes to the heart of the issues and sheds light on what many commentators have left in darkness.

This, to me, is a modern Greek tragedy in the making . . . . one that unfortunately demonstrates the ultimate price of corruption and greed.

By: Jeffrey Goldfarb

Jeffrey Goldfarb — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:23:00 +0000

Thanks guest. Correction made. Copy editing is never ending process, good to get a helping hand.

Kafka, Samatas is pointing out that there was a structured quality to the responsibility and benefit of Greek corruption. There are many who benefited from the corruption, many didn’t, and it has been particularly the latter that Samatas thinks is now paying for the corruption past. It is not accurate to just blame “the Greeks.”

By: Felipe Pait

Felipe Pait — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:21:00 +0000

I don’t know Greece. But I think the referendum was the last chance of having austerity and a bailout work. If the people had decided in an open vote that staying in the euro was worth whatever cost, they would perhaps find a way to pay such cost. If austerity is imposed by politicians, it will fail.

I thought that proposing a referendum was a brave and decent thing to do. But I was wrong. The politicians talked about a referendum because they wanted to pass on the responsibility to the people, and then backed out because they didn’t want to take responsibility for asking the people.

It’s pathetic. Now disorderly default is certain.

By: Kafka

Kafka — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:16:00 +0000

Populist? Who is being populist? You blame everyone but yourself. Based on this text one could think that the poor Greek people were slaves to some alien invaders (“elite” and “Germans”) who exploited them and held hostage. The fact is that the Greek society enjoyed that empty prosperity immensly, did little to imporve its democratic system and the economy – and now refuse to take any responsibility. I am not saying that you should pay the bill – indeed, much of what is owed is a result of governmental corruption and foreign speculation. But if you want to start fixing the world, begin with yourselves. And get off the Germans, who also refuse to pay a debt that is not their own — it’s yours.

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:51:00 +0000

You mean emigration, not immigration (para. 5). I know that the Greek, metanastefsi, translates as migration, covering both.