iHaveNet.com
World - Postcard From Greece: This Should Not Be About Austerity, It's About The Future Of Democracy | Greece
  • HOME
  • WORLD
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Balkans
    • Caucasas
    • Central Asia
    • Eastern Europe
    • Europe
    • Indian Subcontinent
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • North Africa
    • Scandinavia
    • Southeast Asia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Benelux
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Korea
    • Mexico
    • New Zealand
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • Taiwan
    • Turkey
    • United States
  • USA
    • ECONOMICS
    • EDUCATION
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • FOREIGN POLICY
    • POLITICS
    • OPINION
    • TRADE
    • Atlanta
    • Baltimore
    • Bay Area
    • Boston
    • Chicago
    • Cleveland
    • DC Area
    • Dallas
    • Denver
    • Detroit
    • Houston
    • Los Angeles
    • Miami
    • New York
    • Philadelphia
    • Phoenix
    • Pittsburgh
    • Portland
    • San Diego
    • Seattle
    • Silicon Valley
    • Saint Louis
    • Tampa
    • Twin Cities
  • BUSINESS
    • FEATURES
    • eBUSINESS
    • HUMAN RESOURCES
    • MANAGEMENT
    • MARKETING
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • STOCK MARKETS
    • Agriculture
    • Airline
    • Auto
    • Beverage
    • Biotech
    • Book
    • Broadcast
    • Cable
    • Chemical
    • Clothing
    • Construction
    • Defense
    • Durable
    • Engineering
    • Electronics
    • Firearms
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Healthcare
    • Hospitality
    • Leisure
    • Logistics
    • Metals
    • Mining
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Newspaper
    • Nondurable
    • Oil & Gas
    • Packaging
    • Pharmaceutic
    • Plastics
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Shipping
    • Sports
    • Steelmaking
    • Textiles
    • Tobacco
    • Transportation
    • Travel
    • Utilities
  • WEALTH
    • CAREERS
    • INVESTING
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • REAL ESTATE
    • MARKETS
    • BUSINESS
  • STOCKS
    • ECONOMY
    • EMERGING MARKETS
    • STOCKS
    • FED WATCH
    • TECH STOCKS
    • BIOTECHS
    • COMMODITIES
    • MUTUAL FUNDS / ETFs
    • MERGERS / ACQUISITIONS
    • IPOs
    • 3M (MMM)
    • AT&T (T)
    • AIG (AIG)
    • Alcoa (AA)
    • Altria (MO)
    • American Express (AXP)
    • Apple (AAPL)
    • Bank of America (BAC)
    • Boeing (BA)
    • Caterpillar (CAT)
    • Chevron (CVX)
    • Cisco (CSCO)
    • Citigroup (C)
    • Coca Cola (KO)
    • Dell (DELL)
    • DuPont (DD)
    • Eastman Kodak (EK)
    • ExxonMobil (XOM)
    • FedEx (FDX)
    • General Electric (GE)
    • General Motors (GM)
    • Google (GOOG)
    • Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)
    • Home Depot (HD)
    • Honeywell (HON)
    • IBM (IBM)
    • Intel (INTC)
    • Int'l Paper (IP)
    • JP Morgan Chase (JPM)
    • J & J (JNJ)
    • McDonalds (MCD)
    • Merck (MRK)
    • Microsoft (MSFT)
    • P & G (PG)
    • United Tech (UTX)
    • Wal-Mart (WMT)
    • Walt Disney (DIS)
  • TECH
    • ADVANCED
    • FEATURES
    • INTERNET
    • INTERNET FEATURES
    • CYBERCULTURE
    • eCOMMERCE
    • mp3
    • SECURITY
    • GAMES
    • HANDHELD
    • SOFTWARE
    • PERSONAL
    • WIRELESS
  • HEALTH
    • AGING
    • ALTERNATIVE
    • AILMENTS
    • DRUGS
    • FITNESS
    • GENETICS
    • CHILDREN'S
    • MEN'S
    • WOMEN'S
  • LIFESTYLE
    • AUTOS
    • HOBBIES
    • EDUCATION
    • FAMILY
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HOME DECOR
    • RELATIONSHIPS
    • PARENTING
    • PETS
    • TRAVEL
    • WOMEN
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • BOOKS
    • TELEVISION
    • MUSIC
    • THE ARTS
    • MOVIES
    • CULTURE
  • SPORTS
    • BASEBALL
    • BASKETBALL
    • COLLEGES
    • FOOTBALL
    • GOLF
    • HOCKEY
    • OLYMPICS
    • SOCCER
    • TENNIS
  • Subscribe to RSS Feeds EMAIL ALERT Subscriptions from iHaveNet.com RSS
    • RSS | Politics
    • RSS | Recipes
    • RSS | NFL Football
    • RSS | Movie Reviews
Postcard From Greece:
This Should Not Be About Austerity,
It's About The Future Of Democracy

Arianna Huffington

HOME > WORLD

 

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Given that the Greeks invented democracy, it's only fitting that they're now being given the chance to reinvent it. And yes, I know we Greeks have a reputation for mythmaking and drama -- but, as I found out during my trip to Greece last week, those really are the stakes.

Can a truly democratic movement break the stranglehold of corrupt elites and powerful anti-democratic institutional forces that have come to characterize not just the politics of Greece, but most Western democracies, including our own?

It's way too early to tell whether the forces of democracy will prevail, but I came away extraordinarily moved and heartened by the courage, passion, engagement and dedication I witnessed during a trip in which three different perspectives converged.

First and foremost, there was The Square.

In Athens, the place of the moment attracting thousands of people a day is Syntagma Square, situated directly across from the Greek parliament.

The movement has become a permanent encampment in Syntagma, with a growing number of people taking up residence in the square, vowing not to leave until their demands are met. Of course, the young are well-represented there -- no surprise when unemployment among Greek youth runs as high as 40 percent -- but I was struck by the wide range of participants. Young, old, activists, pensioners, unemployed, self-employed. As you'd expect, various political parties and organized groups are trying to co-opt the square. Indeed, on Tuesday, a demonstration of 20,000 protesters that started peacefully disintegrated when a group of mostly young people began hurling stones at the police.

Everywhere I went, I was stunned by the level of engagement -- it's not just those physically at the square who are all in. The sense I came away with was that they're all all in. Waiters, taxi drivers, storekeepers, salespeople, they're all talking about the same thing.

So, yes, there's a lot of anger and resentment in the square -- most of it very justified -- but there's also an incredible amount of hope, and, considering how hard things are for millions of people in Greece, an incredible lack of cynicism. "What I like about this square is that people discuss things, they express themselves without fear," said 18-year-old student Stavroula Koloverou. "We want the system to change and we want all traditional politicians out. We want young people suffering in this system who still have dreams to take over."

The second perspective I got on my trip came during dinner with the Greek prime minister, George Papandreou.

Assuming office in the middle of the crisis, in 2009, Papandreou's tenure has been a precarious balancing act of trying to satisfy the draconian demands of the EU while dealing with the increasing unrest and economic misery of his people. The week before I met him, he'd just narrowly survived a vote of no confidence.

And though many of the demonstrators camped out at Syntagma are clearly directing their frustrations toward his office, the prime minister spoke about them with understanding and a clear awareness not only of their power and authenticity, but also their potential.

"What they say is correct, we have to change," he told me. "Corruption is everywhere -- and even when we change our laws you cannot eradicate corruption overnight."

But the big problem is that, as he told me, "Greece needs a new narrative." Whether he can provide that narrative is unclear, but this is clearly a man who chafes at the portrayal of his people that dominates the European media. "There is so much good being done, so much creativity and innovation, that are not getting any attention," he said, "while everyone is focusing just on what's dysfunctional."

But now people are rushing, quite literally, to re-engage in civic life. They want to start fresh and awaken the public good. And my daily interactions with Greeks during my visit were a reminder of the incredible talents and abilities and resources that are being wasted.

Nevertheless, the media's focus is on the shrunken and pinched debate about austerity. Instead of a debate about how to tap into the human and natural resources Greece teems with, all we hear is about how deeply services should be cut. But this isn't just a policy debate -- it's a debate about what the big outlines of what we call democracy are going to be for the next century.

Which brings me to the third perspective of my trip -- inspired by the Special Olympics. I was especially struck by the words of His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In a small gathering he held with some of the athletes, he called the games "an extraordinary invitation to healing."

It was clear he wasn't talking just about the athletes. Sharing in the triumph of the human spirit overcoming adversity is indeed healing. And what's going on in Greece right now, to paraphrase the Patriarch, is an extraordinary invitation to re-engage.

As Tim Shriver, who heads the Special Olympics, put it in a declaration the day before on the Parthenon: "There's a stiff wind out here, but we will prevail."

I hope with all my heart that Greece will, too. And not just because that's where I was born and raised, but because the Greeks' struggle -- the struggle to reclaim democracy -- is our struggle, too.

 

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

 

  • Greece and EU Attempt to Avoid Disastrous Default
  • Greece Passes Second Austerity Legislation
  • Greek Parliament Narrowly Approves Austerity Program
  • Greece Should Not Be About Austerity, It's About The Future Of Democracy
  • Greek Crisis: Brace for More Volatility in Financial Markets
  • Violence Mars Strikes in Greece
  • Papandreou Seeks Greek MPs Support For Austerity Plan
  • Ten Million at Risk as Drought Strikes African Horn
  • South Sudan Teeters Weeks Before Independence
  • Moroccan Voters Asked to Approve Reforms
  • Myanmar Open To Microcredit Expansion
  • Thousands Protest in Bangladesh Against Islamic Constitution
  • New Evidence Not Sufficient to Retry Filipino Senator's Son For Rape and Murder
  • Government Boosts Disaster Preparedness as Latest Storm Subsides
  • Health Personnel Spreading Hepatitis in Pakistan
  • Pakistan: More Polio Cases Despite Efforts to Contain It
  • Brotherhood Gets Out Muslim Message with Movies
  • Rejecting IMF Loan Egypt Risks Undermining Economy
  • Arabs Divided on Prospects for Change
  • Arab Spring: From Textbook to Tahrir Square
  • Palestinian Inmates Put Away Their Textbooks
  • Israel's Army Becoming God's Army
  • Lebanon's New Leaders Face Economic-Credibility Problem
  • Lebanon's Clerics Attack Domestic Violence Law
  • Is Syrian Unrest an Invitation for Al-Qaeda?
  • UK Public Workers Strike Over Pension Changes
  • Greek Cabinet Approves Austerity Measures; Debt Default Still Possible
  • Greek PM Papandreou Survives Confidence Vote
  • Belarus Holds Lessons for Syria's Asssad
  • Libya and America's Commitment Problem
  • Afghanistan: How Much Easier It Is to Start a War Than to Finish One
  • Obama's Afghanistan Plan and the Realities of Withdrawal
  • Confusing Reports of a Battle in Matamoros
  • Implications of El Chango's Arrest
  • All Wheat Varieties Will Have To Be Replaced
  • In the Desert Kingdom: No Grassroots Politics
  • Fear and Trembling in Saudi Arabia
  • Minister's Resignation Highlights Jordan's Tense Relations
  • Muslim Brotherhood Walks Democratic Path With Caution
  • Mentoring Tomorrow's Middle East Youth Movement
  • Saab Unable To Pay Employee Wages
  • KLM To Power European Flights With Used Cooking Oil
  • Mindanao Aid Plan Underfunded Says United Nations
  • Philippine Airport Operator Looks for Body Scanners
  • NATO Chief Welcomes Obama Decision To Withdraw Troops
  • Afghanistan Bracing For Reduced Wheat Harvest
  • Bangladesh Ethnic Communities Protest Islamization Of Constitution
  • Former Mexican Attorney General Suspected of Helping Drug Cartels
  • Canada to Issue New $50 And $100 Plastic Bills In November
  • Conflict In Sudan's Southern Kordofan Region
  • Michael David: 'My Duty Was Cleaning Guns And Shining Boots'
  • Insecurity and Land Conflicts Threaten Peace In Sudan's Upper Nile State
  • Children Unprotected as Polio Spreads in Chad
  • Muslim Brotherhood Walks Democratic Path With Caution
  • The Afghan Money Pit
  • United States and Pakistan: Afghan Strategies
  • Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Admits Opposition Has Legitimate Grievances
  • Syria: The Last Domino
  • Turkey in Position to Lead Region Out of Tumultuous Century
  • Lebanon's Opposition Feeling Threatened
  • New Mexican President, Same Cartel War?
  • Limited Options for United States in Yemen
  • Yemenis Look To Tribes As Force For Change
  • In Arab Spring Chill United Arab Emirates Puts Bloggers On Trial
  • Hamas Leader Urges Fatah To Abandon West
  • Somalia Power Struggle Could Intensify As Premier Quits
  • Ousted Tunisian Leader Denies Charges Before Trial Begins In Absentia
  • Tunisia Risks Controversy with Travel Ads
  • New Insight Into Male Sex Work and HIV Epidemic in Africa
  • Angola's 'Sans Papiers' Violently Deported In New Wave Of Expulsions
  • Severe Drought and High Food Prices Hit Pastoralists In Africa
  • The Hidden Cost Of Piracy In Somalia
  • Flood-hit Mindanao Battles Water Lilies
  • No Clear Route Out Of Servitude For Indentured Girls
  • IMF Urges EU Leaders to Act Now on Greece Bailout
  • European Finance Ministers Delay Second Greek Bailout To July
  • European Union Assures Greece Bailout Funds
  • Spaniards Protest Against Euro-Pact and Austerity Measures
  • Greece Is The World's Least Credit Worthy Nation
  • A World of Three Reserve Currencies -- Good or Bad?
  • Europe Is Warning Us
  • United States Has Trust Issues With China
  • The United States - Russia Missile Defense Impasse
  • Al Qaeda's New Video: A Message of Defeat
  • Why Sudan's Peace Is in Jeopardy
  • Egypt's Interim Rulers Learn the Democracy Game
  • Egyptians Back Keeping Clerics Out of Politics
  • House Pushes Obama on Libya
  • Ignoring the War Powers Act
  • Congress' Bipartisan Vice Is Cowardice
  • Outgoing Robert Gates Outlines Future US Presence in Asia
  • Robert Gates: Parting Shot on Afghan Policy
  • An Invitation to Leave Afghanistan
  • Obama Undermines Prospects for Middle East Peace
  • Forty-Four Years Later, Israeli Attack on USS Liberty Provokes Strong Response
  • Saudi Arabia Orders Men Out of Women's Clothing
  • Gulf Becomes Fault Line for Sunni - Shiite Tensions
  • Double Whammy for Bahraini Peace and Prosperity Drive
  • The Human Cost of the Yemen Conflict
  • Yemeni President Saleh Is Out But Yemen's Future Uncertain
  • Turkey's Dilemma: Economy or Constitution
  • Turkey: Elections and Strained U.S. Relations
  • A Bad Day That Never Changes
  • G8 Leaders Vow Billions in Aid to Egypt and Tunisia
  • What 'Arab Spring'?
  • Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood on the March -- Cautiously
  • International Law, Palestinian Statehood and Israel's Security
  • The Palestinian Move
  • Israel's Borders and National Security
  • Netanyahu's Message Is Self-Defeating
  • Justice for a General -- At Last
  • Protective Intelligence Lessons from an Ambush in Mexico
  • Corruption: Why Texas Is Not Mexico
  • Politics Behind Thai - Cambodian Conflict
  • Re-examining the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
  • The Bin Laden Operation: Tapping Human Intelligence
  • Inside Pakistan After bin Laden
  • The Kaspersky Kidnapping - Lessons Learned
  • A Political Vision for Israel
  • 3 Ongoing Conflicts You May Not Be Paying Attention To But Should
  • Visegrad: A New European Military Force
  • Turkey Setting Poor Example for Other Arab Nations
  • IMF's Crisis-Management Challenge
  • Dominique Strauss-Kahn Scandal an Embarrassment for France
  • Going Cold on Bin Laden
  • Chinese Investors Are Coming to Latin America
  • Bin Laden's Death a Rorschach Test for the World
  • Tough Times for Radical Islam
  • China No. 1 in Five Years? Not so Soon
  • Global Demography: Population Inflation
  • Smallpox Threat Resurrected
  • What's Next for al-Qaeda?
  • Bin Laden's Death and U.S. Afghan Policy
  • Engineering Programs React to Japan Nuclear Crisis
  • Syria: At A Crossroads
  • Iran: Authority Deficit
  • NATO: Lessons From Libya
  • United Kingdom: Forged In The Crucible Of Austerity
  • United Kingdom: Democracy As Conflict Prevention
  • United Kingdom: Military Defense Test Case
  • British Defense Policy: MoD Mess
  • United States - Pakistani Relations Beyond Bin Laden
  • Bin Laden Death Raises Big National Security Questions
  • Where the United States Goes from Here
  • Welcome to Paybackistan
  • Osama Bin Laden: Got Him!
  • Will Bin Laden Death Affect Afghan Exit Timetable?
  • Pakistan Unaware of Osama bin Laden Presence? Don't Believe It
  • Congress Praises Obama and Troops After Bin Laden Death
  • Strategic Implications of Osama bin Laden's Death
  • Postcard From Greece: This Should Not Be About Austerity, It's About The Future Of Democracy
  • Final Letter to Osama bin Laden
  • Justice Has Been Done
  • President Obama on Osama Bin Laden
  • Bin Laden and the Return of Common Sense
  • Osama Bin Laden Dead
  • Osama bin Laden Aftermath
  • The Future of the Liberal World Order
  • Why DOHA Trade Negotiations Are Doomed and What We Should Do About It
  • Who's Afraid of the International Criminal Court?
  • 5 Economies Worse Off Than the United States
  • The Rise of the Islamists
  • The Black Swan of Cairo
  • Understanding the Middle East Revolutions of 2011
  • Parsing the Differences Between Tunisia, Egypt and Libya
  • The Heirs of Nasser
  • Terrorism After the Arab Revolutions
  • Egypt Can't Seem To Shed Bad Habits
  • How Hosni Mubarak's Reign Came to an End
  • Libya: The Two Obamas
  • How to Save the Euro and the European Union
  • Recalibrating Homeland Security
  • Getting the Military Out of Pakistani Politics
  • Power and Politics in an Autonomous Latin America
  • The Sacred and the Dead
  • China and the End of the Deng Dynasty
  • United States - Pakistan Partnership in Peril
  • Islamist Militancy in a Pre- and Post-Saleh Yemen
  • Iraq, Iran and the Next Move
  • World's Most Dangerous Man? Syrian Leader Makes Strong Case
  • A View from Syria
  • Libya and Beyond: Why not Every Nation for Itself?
  • Confidence Remains Strong in Global Markets Despite Crises
  • Latin America Provides Cautionary Tale for Middle East
  • The Arab Risings, Israel and Hamas
  • America Should Exercise Pragmatic Idealism in the Arab World
  • Richard Goldstone Recants His Report Attacking Israel
  • Middle East: Autocratic Deafness
  • A Brave Libyan Stands Up Against Rape
  • Is Pacific Fish Safe to Eat After the Disaster in Japan?
  • Demand and Disasters Complicate Global Energy Picture
  • Global Arms Trade: A Vortex of Death and Wealth
  • Arms Trade: a Filter, Not a Dam
  • Organised Crime: Joint Responsibility
  • It's Time, Mr. President: A Time for Clarity
  • Chances for a New US Foreign Policy Not Taken
  • Did the United States Give Up on Libya?
  • The Gulf Region: Anger Management
  • Saudi Arabia: Guarding The Fortress
  • Israel's Recent Political Actions Aren't Going Over Well
  • Israel: If Not Now, When?
  • A 'Reverse Beauty Pageant' for Tyrants
  • African Hydropower: Damming at What Cost?
  • United States - Pacific Relations: Pacific-Minded
  • 7 Problems That Could Derail the Global Economic Recovery
  • Technology Powers Revolutions and Saves Lives
  • Russia Stocks Soar on Rising Oil Prices
  • Japan: Heavy History
  • China: Weak Impetus for Change
  • China Sees the Evil of Plastic Bags
  • Pakistan: Educating For Tolerance
  • Immaculate Intervention: The Wars of Humanitarianism
  • AQAP and the Vacuum of Authority in Yemen
  • Japan Quake and Tsunami Among Most Costly of All Time
  • China's Economy the Key to Quelling Social Unrest
  • Syria's Stalled Revolution
  • Prudent Multilateralism in Libya
  • The Thinly Veiled Campaign for Regime Change
  • Unexpected Revelations in Libyan Intervention
  • President Obama's Most Amazing Libyan Achievements
  • Libya: Insanity Dawn
  • Obama's Half-a-Loaf War
  • Obama Said He Doesn't Mind Criticism on Libya Mission in Latin America
  • What Happened to the American Declaration of War?
  • The Power of Giving Back
  • Safety on the Cheap
  • Egyptian Elections: the Sooner, the Better
  • The Libyan Question: What Now?
  • Obama's 'Goldilocks' Doctrine
  • War Number Three
  • Un-Unified Oppositions in Bahrain and Yemen
  • Japanese Earthquake Brings Back Sad Memories
  • 5 Reasons Investors Should Not Bail on Japan
  • Japan's Nuclear Crisis Reignites Safety Debate
  • Military Involvement in Libya Costs Taxpayers Millions
  • United Nations Relevance
  • A Mother's Confession on Mothers' Day
  • Middle East Crisis: Today's Events in the Middle East
  • World's Costliest Disaster
  • Japan Crisis: Video Reports 3/23/2011

 

Available at Amazon.com:

Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World

Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (The Contemporary Middle East)

Enemies of Intelligence

The End of History and the Last Man

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations?

Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource

Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water

Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization

The Great Gamble

At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes

Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century

Dining With al-Qaeda: Three Decades Exploring the Many Worlds of the Middle East

Uprising: Will Emerging Markets Shape or Shake the World Economy

 

Copyright 2011, Arianna Huffington. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

 

Recommend

Search Powered By Google

Google Search   

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT

Job & Career Search

career & job search                    job title, keywords, company, location
  • HOME
  • WORLD
  • USA
  • BUSINESS
  • WEALTH
  • STOCKS
  • TECH
  • HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • SPORTS

World - Postcard From Greece: This Should Not Be About Austerity, It's About The Future Of Democracy | Global Viewpoint

  • Services:
  • RSS Feeds
  • Shopping
  • Email Alerts
  • Site Map
  • Privacy