Alexis Papachelas

Europe is facing a string of massive, almost existential, threats. Where to start? Illegal immigration is growing out of control, as recent events in Spain showed us.

Europe is confronting enormous, almost existential, threats. Where do you even begin? Illegal migration has reached alarming levels, as we have seen in Spain. Even left-wing politicians are changing course because they have realized they are dealing with a real problem, one that could come at a significant political cost.

It is striking how Greece has for decades let Turkey make an increasing number of claims without putting its own issues on the table. The islands of Imvros (Gokceada) and Tenedos (Bozcaada) are classic examples. The Treaty of Lausanne granted them a special status with an enhanced role in local self-government. Over time, however, the Turks used every means possible to expel as many Greeks as possible, without Athens ever reacting strongly, not even when international human rights treaties would have allowed retaliation in Western Thrace. The Greek community shrank but survived, especially in Imvros, thanks to the hard-nosed nature and stubbornness of the Imvriots. Also, to be fair, in the early years of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rule, minority schools were reopened in Imvros.

Antonis Samaras is a complex and undoubtedly talented politician. A man of contradictions, he has never followed the conventional path to achieve what he wanted.

Stefanos Manos was a very authentic person and a politician who was far ahead of his time. His mind worked like a laser, perhaps because he was an engineer by training. He saw a problem and looked for the most practical and economical solution, always “outside the box.” He had an opinion on everything, from how to improve public transportation to how to cook the best pie.

Artificial intelligence is without a doubt a very useful tool that will lead to significant changes in critical areas. I am not at all sure that the trillions that have been invested in this sector are justified. Most likely, this is one of the classic bubbles that are created every 20-30 years due to some new technology and excessive expectations. Experts warn that this is a bubble, but for now the markets are ignoring them. It has happened before.

The way wars are fought has changed dramatically over the past two or three years. The war in Ukraine, and then the war in Iran were a wake-up call for everyone. Bureaucrats and generals realized that large formations and complex structures are no longer necessary; in this new environment, 40 or 50 well-trained soldiers operating drones can secure a massive area.

Ηow quickly we forget… Six years ago, we stepped onto our balconies to applaud the nurses who were, quite literally, keeping us alive as we faced the tsunami of a stealthy and unpredictable virus. They were people who risked their lives every day, entering wards filled with patients, offering them courage and refusing to abandon their posts despite the pervasive fear.

Greece has been searching for decades in the global market for an “insurance policy” against Turkey. It is very strange how, a country as proud as Greece, which was moved by slogans such as “Greece belongs to the Greeks,” still suffers from dependency syndromes.

As the old saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. I do wonder, sometimes, whether politicians, public commentators and celebrities of various stripes understand the wisdom of those words. This is an age of social media and, obviously, communications professionals believe that this is the be-all and end-all of a successful strategy. It makes sense for someone to advertise their actions or policies on a specific issue; it even makes sense for someone to want to show a more “human” side of themselves. What cannot be tolerated is seeing children turned into tools of self-promotion or supposedly casual, private moments being put on public display.