Makis Andronopoulos: Debts to Germany, Berlin’s ace up the sleeve

For those who do not want to hide behind their finger, it is obvious that Greece has been dealing with another tough geopolitical rival for 150 years, Germany, in addition to Turkey. Germany is supposedly offering its good services in the Turkey-Greece conflict are not just in favor of Ankara, as was clear at Friday’s Foreign Ministers’ Council. This, however, may also be trap.

The Greek political world has cast, its proverbial, head in the sand, through the government, through the so-called pro-(former PM) Samaras super-patriots who are whistling in the other direction, Syrizan-backers of all shades, KINAL party supporters and so on. Interests, oligarchy and submission! It is obvious that they are using the terror construed by the coronavirus to allow a compromises and secure their jobs. However, according to the web-social-analytics tool PaloPro, public opinion, as expressed on social networks (and not in guided polls), is more concerned with the geopolitical threats facing Greece.

Germany’s relationship with Greece is mainly psychoanalytic and intellectual and was famously documented in the book “The Tyranny of Greece over Germany” (1935) by Eliza Marian Butler, where Greek worship was recorded in German art, poetry and literature (German idealism- nationalism). This relationship has a three century history.

This became manifest during the Bavarian occupation (transfer of capital to Athens, new currency, etc.) and beame infested and gangrenous under the invasion of Greece by the Nazi forces: “a culture, which he has been defled for 2,000 years, but which is now deprived by his racial and political decline. “German troops are simply handing over a land and its culture to their rightful Indo-German owners.”

Deep historical complex

It is a deep historical complex that mutates from time to time depending on the conditions and circumstances, as we saw during the euro crisis (Merkel-Schauble) and the German efforts to turn Greece into a “debt colony”.

In my article (February 22, 2017) I again noted that Germany does not have a Constitution (Verfassung), but a Fundamental Law (Grundgesetz), while Articles 53 and 107 of the UN, which concern Japan and Germany, remain in force, which is still described as a “hostile state”, since no peace treaties have been formally signed. That is why its efforts to occupy a permanent position in the Security Council are to no avail.

Many even argue that Germany is avoiding its constitutional integration, despite its unification, because if it acquires a Constitution it will have to pay its debts, which it is systematically avoiding. Regardless, and given Berlin’s favor to its centuries-old ally Turkey (they fought together in World War I), it is time for the government to ask Germany to sign a peace pact, perhaps through NATO.

And, perhaps, to also demand the repayment of the occupation loan and the war reparations, which in total amount to more than 300 billion euros according to some estimates. There are also issues also pertaining to international courts… The Greek political world must finally get its head out of the sand. Times are difficult and fraught with danger. If not now, when?