Alexis Papachelas

“Good morning, France. Welcome to what Greece went through in 2010.” I have always believed that France is the hardest country in Europe to reform and that if it were forced to do what we did under the bailout agreements, we would see another storming of the Bastille.

Good morning, France. Welcome to our own … 2010. I have always believed that France is Europe's most difficult country to reform, and that

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to Kathimerini in an exclusive interview during his visit to Athens on Wednesday, lays out the priorities shaping Washington's approach to the most pressing issues in Greece's neighborhood, from Greek-Turkish relations and Iran to defense, Ukraine, the Strait of Hormuz and energy.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the prospect of a Greek-Turkish conflict as “unthinkable” in an interview with Kathimerini.

Greece possesses an incredible reservoir of soft power. This was most clearly demonstrated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's speech at the Pnyx. Whether one agrees or disagrees with how he tailored his narrative to the context, there is no doubt that this served as further proof of the strength of Greece, as a brand.

Greece has an extraordinary reserve of ''soft power.'' Rubio’s speech demonstrated that as clearly as anything could. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the way he tailored his narrative to the setting, there is no doubt that it offered further proof of the strength of the Greece ''brand.''

British Museum Chairman George Osborne is optimistic that an agreement on the Parthenon Sculptures is still possible, proposing an arrangement under which the 5th century BC works would be displayed alternately in Greece and Britain.

The “Guilfoyle affair” is far from straightforward. Greece found itself thrust into the middle of a scandal that has everything. First and foremost is the Democratic Party's intention to launch a systematic investigation into President Donald Trump's wider circle following the congressional elections. These investigations will also focus on Greece and the Balkans. Then there is the fierce power struggle over who will succeed Trump, pitting Vice President JD Vance against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as rivalries within the Trump family itself.

Greece went through something similar to France around 16 years ago. This was the first country to be hit by the anti-establishment tsunami that went on to drag the UK into Brexit and sweep Donald Trump into power in the United States, before hitting – after some delay – the two most important countries in Europe: France and Germany. Many people are now asking whether there's a chance that Greece will experience similar events once more.

Greek foreign policy often finds itself paying the price for two failings: its direct reliance on domestic politics and a tendency toward high-flown rhetoric and unwarranted grandstanding. The combination can be disastrous. In the past, opinion polls and mass demonstrations played a role. Today, social media plays a decisive part. “Keep a low profile on the [Fredi] Beleri case,” the diplomats urge. “The Beleri case is hurting us on social media. We need to raise its profile now,” the communications advisers counter. The same debate plays out over every foreign policy issue.