Harry Truman

Religion, rights, and geopolitics on Vartholemos’ US visit, meetings with Biden, Blinken, Pelosi

By George Gilson

When Greek Orthodox Archbishop Athenagoras of America was elected Ecumenical Patriarch - the first among equals with a coordinating role in Eastern Orthodox Church, which is said to have 300 million faithful worldwide) - in 1948, he travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, for his enthronement on the presidential aeroplane of US President Harry Truman.

Statues and estates

With the exception of the statue of the former American president Harry Truman in downtown Athens that has been toppled, splashed with paint and firebombed, Greece has not witnessed, at least in recent years, any attempts to "erase" history by means of vandalism.

Truman statue attacked by left-wing protesters

Protesters belonging to PAME, a union associated with the Greek Communist Party (KKE), try to bring down a statue of former US president Harry Truman in central Athens Monday during a demonstration against air strikes on Syria by the USA, UK and France. Another protester tried to chop off the statue's feet using an angle grinder before riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

KKE protesters try to take down Truman statue

Greek communist party (KKE) supporters tried to take down a statue of former US president Harry Truman in Athens on Monday during a protest against air strikes on Syria by the United States, Britain and France, Reuters reports. Protesters used a metal grinder to try to cut off the statue's feet and tug it down with ropes before riot police intervened and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Varoufakis writes “A Speech of Hope for Greece”

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote “A Speech of Hope for Greece” on Friday, the day when Greece didn’t pay its dues to the IMF. His text begins by casting the focus on US Secretary of State James F. Byrnes who traveled to Stuttgart in September 6, 1946, to deliver his historic “Speech of Hope“.

Geopolitics versus politics in Greek debt drama

By Paul Taylor

In the tug-of-war over Greece's debt crisis, geopolitics and domestic politics are pulling in opposite directions.

Greece's strategic location and ties to Russia give its new leftist-led government some leverage in its struggle to make European Union creditors ease up on austerity and give Athens more time to repay its mountain of debt, if it ever does.