ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC

 

A set of guides in Ancient life has been published, only available from our website for a small fee. 

Here they can be seen in an electronic form, however the printed form is more engaging and impressive.

Click HERE to sample Ancient music

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON TURKEY

An expected blow to Turkish accension future?

In its recent vote on Turkish accension the European Parliament decided to halt accension due to Turkish inability to conform with European values. 

The parliament also decided to push sanctions against Turkey's justice minister Akin Gurlek for  "violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms." 

The voting result was in favour with 381 votes for and 107 against. There were 171 absentions. In those abstentions there were 5 from Cypriot MEPs (the sixth was a rejection). The reason, I think, was that the resolution did not go far enough. A little short sighted.

According to  Turkish Daily Sabah experts warn that this decision would erode Turkey's trust in the EU at a time that it needs Turkey's strategic importance.

In our humble opinion this view is very short sighted and only reflects the narrow minded and totalitarian views of the Turkish establishment disregarding the major issues of Freedom, Human Rights, Respect for International Law and expansionist Neo-ottoman policies of the Turkish deep state.

It is our view that, judging form the Turkish stance on International matters,  Turkish governments are not interested in joining the EU. They are happy to be on teh outside reeping rewards as a country under accension without the responsibilities of a modern democratic state.

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?