Angela Merkel in Athens

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's two-day visit to Athens is taking place in a completely different political environment than the last one in April 2014. Then, Alexis Tsipras had described the visit as a stunt aimed at "showing support for her representative Mr [Antonis] Samaras."

Things have changed. Tsipras and his party SYRIZA no longer claim they want to "democratize" Europe, as they once did. Maybe it's because they realized it is already democratic. The countries of Europe - along with the US, Canada, Australia and, unfortunately, very few other countries in the world - were democracies long before SYRIZA arrived in politics. They may have weaknesses, injustices and inequalities, but they still remain the most free societies.

Slogans such as "Go back Mrs Merkel" and numerous other insults targeting the chancellor - as well as domestic political opponents for...

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