GREECE INTERNATIONALLY

The persistance of the major political forces in Greece to be governed by a phobic disorder is a remnand of the political realities of post-1821 revolution against Turkish occupation.           

During those times, political forces were divided acording to the Great Power with which  they were alligned. So much so, that the names of the political parties were: the Russian party the English party and the French party. In those times Greece, a shadow of its glorious past, was but a small peninsula surrounded by the Ottoman Empire and Britain. As a result, foreign help and aid was exremely important but without painful concessions such as foreign involvement in internal affairs and loans with onerus terms. Coupled with the history of 400 years of Ottoman rule,  Greek continuing foreign policy has been, at best, that of appeasement concession and compromise. As a result, in modern times,  Greece's treatment by other countries has been dismissive and hegemonistic. To this, major Greek political forces have been reluctant to project a courageous and patriotic foreign policy. 

The results have been unfortunate if not catastrophic.

1. Greece lost Northern Epirus to Albania following the Balkan Wars and World War II due to pressure from European Great Powers (particularly Italy and Austria-Hungary) despite having regained Greek territories. These powers wanted to prevent Greece from gaining strategic control of the Adriatic coast and sought to create a viable Albanian state.. (According to GOOGLE AI). 

2. Greece bowed to Great Power pressure and recognised the term NORTH MACEDONIA to the Slavic neighbour from the North (former Vardarsca). This is cataqstrophic since it gave the right to the Slavs to use the term Macedonian language as their own...

3. Greece has delayed, without good reason, an announcement of the extension of its territorial waters to 12 miles, as it has a unilateral right to do under UNCLOS. This apparently is because of the declaration of war by Turkey in case of any announcement of territorial water extension.

4. The Cyprus tragedy of 1974. This was when trasonous Greek dictators were persuaded by American interests in the area and caused the coup which resulted in the Turkish invasion.

5. The backtracking of panned, internationally supported, marine developments under Turkish pressure.

Konstantine Kanaris, also known as Bourlotieris, second Prime Minister of the  new Hellenic Republic would be appalled by the guttless republic of today. Here is an actual photo of him. 

Will Greece ever have a truly independent foreign poilicy?

MORE FROM THOSE TURKISH

As it may be known, this year's conference on climate change is to be held in Antalya-Turkey. The host country has failed to include Cyprus in information meetings and especially failed to invite Cyprus to the preparatory meeting for this conference in March 2026 held in New York. Further to this the Turks complained about the presence of a Cypriot delegate of the EU.

This action has infuriated the European Union and a European Commissioner said:

"We are in contact with the Turkish authorities and have made it clear that the exclusion of a UN Member State from the preparatory process of the UN COP climate conference is not acceptable".

Turkey declared its policy of not recognising the Republic of Cyprus and responded with a representative saying that the COP 31 meeting was not mandated by the UN and therefore it was at the discretion of the organiser to issue invitations.

The EU has also raised the issue with the UN and co-host Australia. Turkey said that it will rectify this mistake, however,  this is not an oversight. It is part of a sustened and persistent policy by Turkey Not to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and, in fact, only refer to it as "the South Cypriot Administration"in violation of UN resolutions.

They are laughable!

THE GREEK WEAPONS MOBILITY SAGA

 

GREEK POLITICIANS PANIC  AFTER TURKISH THREATS OR A PLANNED MOVE?

Only hours after Turkey announced that it will be passing a law which will allow the President to invoke sovereign powers over Greek islands and territorial waters, Greece has decided to remove the Patriot missile system from the island of Karpathos and Didimotiho which were placed to defend against  aggression from Iran and its proxies (Hesbolah). Also, the F16 planes which were sent to Cyprus as a protection force against missile atacks during the Iran-USA war are  returned to their base.

 On the map red dots indicate the locations of the defnce systems deployed for protection against  missiles coming from Iran and its proxies.

The first reactions in the Greek  media were that Greece retreated under the Turkish threat saying that Greece is using the excuse that the Iran threat is no longer evident.

If, however, this is true why did Germany  sent a Patriot battery to Turkey?

A few hours later, however, more details became evident: Apparently the Patriot battery in Karpathos has been replaced by two F16s and the F16s in Cyprus were just replaced by another set of planes. Here it is important to note that wheras the PATRIOT system is a clearly defensive weapon, the F16s are both defensive and offensive weapons something which will not please Turkey.

There is also another view: Maybe the Turks knowing that they are getting the German Patriot battery, publicised the MAVI VATAN istory to create  the illusion of leading events.

The battle for the Aegean has just become serious.

GREEKS WITH INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

 

SCIENTISTS

Constantin Carathéodory (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Καραθεοδωρή, 13 September 1873 – 2 February 1950) spent most of his professional career in Germany. He made significant contributions to real and complex analysis, the calculus of variations, and measure theory. He also created an axiomatic formulation of thermodynamics. Carathéodory is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of his era. 

Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou ( Greek: Γεώργιος Ν. Παπανικολάου  13 May 1883 – 19 February 1962) was a Greek physician, zoologist and microscopist who was a pioneer in cytopathology and early cancer detection, and inventor of the pap smear for detection of cervical cancer.

Nicholas Constantine Christofilos (Greek: Νικόλαος Χριστοφίλου; December 16, 1916 – September 24, 1972) was a Greek physicist. The Christofilos effect, a type of electromagnetic shielding, is named after him.

Other Key 20th-Century Greek Scientists

• Pavlos Santorinis (1893–1986): Physicist and engineer who invented the Greek centimetric radar, with technology that was likely utilized during World War II. 
• Christos Papakyriakopoulos (1914–1976): A renowned mathematician known as "Papa" who specialized in geometric topology at Princeton University. 
• Dimitri Bertsekas (1942–): A distinguished professor and author in electrical engineering and computer science, specifically in data communication networks and optimization. 
• Dimitris Nanopoulos (1948–): A prominent physicist known for his work in high-energy physics, string theory, and quantum mechanics. 
• Ioannis Pallikaris (1947–): Ophthalmologist who developed the epi-LASIK eye surgery technique at the University of Crete. 
• Leonidas Alaoglu (1914–1981): Mathematician known for the Banach-Alaoglu theorem, which is foundational in functional analysis.
• Roger Apéry (1916–1994): Mathematician who proved the irrationality of \(\zeta(3)\) (Apéry's constant). 
• Demetrios Christodoulou (1951–): A mathematician and physicist recognized for his contributions to the field of general relativity.

POETS

Giorgos or George Seferis ( Greek: Γιώργος Σεφέρης), the pen name of Georgios Seferiadis (Γεώργιος Σεφεριάδης; March 13  1900 – September 20, 1971), was a Greek poet and diplomat. He was one of the most important Greek poets of the 20th century, and a Nobel laureate.

He was a career diplomat in the Greek Foreign Service, culminating in his appointment as Ambassador to the UK, a post which he held from 1957 to 1962.

Odysseas Elytis ( Greek: Οδυσσέας Ελύτης  Odysseas Alepoudelis,  2 November 1911 – 18 March 1996) was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as the definitive exponent of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. He is one of the most praised poets of the second half of the twentieth century, with his Axion Esti "regarded as a monument of contemporary poetry". In 1979, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Other notable 20th-Century Greek Poets

• C.P. Cavafis (1863–1933): Though working early in the century, his distinct, historical, and often ironic style made him a foundational figure in modern Greek poetry. 
• Angelos Sikelianos (1884–1951): Known for lyrical and philosophical poetry that bridged traditional Greek heritage with universal themes. [
• Yannis Ritsos (1909–1990): A prolific, politically engaged poet of the left, known for Epitaphios and Moonlight Sonata, often focusing on the struggles of the working class and political prisoners. 
• Nikos Engonopoulos (1907–1985): A leading Greek surrealist painter and poet known for works like Bolivar. [
• Kiki Dimoula (1931–2020): A significant late-century voice known for exploring loss, absence, and the strangeness of everyday life. 
• Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke (1939–2020): A translator and poet.
• Olga Broumas (1949–): A Greek-American poet.
• Dinos Christianopoulos (1931–2020): A Thessaloniki-based poet.
• Maria Polidouri (1902–1930): A notable Neo-romantic poet. 

Key Trends & Movements

• The Generation of the '30s: Introduced modernism and revitalized Greek literature, including poets like Seferis, Elytis, and Ritsos.
• Surrealism: Embraced by poets such as Engonopoulos and Andreas Embirikos.
• Post-war/Resistance Poetry: Focused on the Greek Civil War, occupation, and political turmoil, featuring poets like Manolis Anagnostakis, Tasos Leivaditis, and Titos Patrikios. 

BUSINESS PEOPLE

Prominent Greek businessmen, particularly dominating in shipping, real estate, and energy, include global figures like Aristotle Onassis, Stavros Niarchos, and modern leaders such as Filaretos Kaltsidis, Spiros Latsis, and George Prokopiou. Many manage large family dynasties, including the Angelicoussis and Vardinoyannis families, alongside entrepreneurs in media, tech, and retail. 

Sotirios Voulgaris (Greek: Σωτήριος Βούλγαρης; 18 March 1857 – 1932), or Sotirio Bulgari in Italian, was an Aromanian  Greek silversmith and distinguished businessman,who founded the Bulgari company, which flourished in business in Italy, and later internationally, in the area of gold- and silversmithing and fashion accessory.

Vicky Safra (Greek: Βίκυ Σάφρα; born 1 July 1952) is a Greek-born billionaire and member of the Safra family.

Top Greek Businessmen & Dynasties (Recent & Historical)

• Filaretos Kaltsidis (Filaret Galchev): Considered the wealthiest Greek ($6.7B+) with substantial investments in the cement industry.
• George Economou: Prominent shipping tycoon behind TMS Group and Ocean Rig.
• George Prokopiou & Family: Owner of Dynacom Tankers, Sea Traders, and Dynagas.
• Spiro Latsis & Family: Key figure in banking (EFG International) and real estate (Lamda Development).
• Anna Angelicoussis & Family: Leads major shipping firms including Alpha Bulkers and Pantheon Tankers.
• Vardis Vardinoyannis & Family: Built a massive oil refinery business (Motor Oil Hellas) and has interests in shipping and media.
• Aristotle Onassis & Stavros Niarchos: Legendary 20th-century shipping magnates who built global shipping empires.
• Evangelos Marinakis: Shipping owner with significant media (Mega Channel) and sports investments (Olympiacos F.C., Nottingham Forest F.C.).

Other Notable Entrepreneurs

• Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou: Founder of EasyJet.
• Arianna Huffington: Founder of The Huffington Post.
• Theodoros Paphitis: Greek-Cypriot retail magnate known for UK brands like Ryman and Boux Avenue.
• Alex Chatzieleftheriou: Co-founder of Blueground, a proptech company. 

These individuals have significantly influenced global shipping, finance, an.istics, with many appearing regularly on international wealth lists

All data and photos taken from Wikipedia