The return of Karamanlis

I am not sure why Kostas Karamanlis has decided to resume an active public role at this point in time. Following his recent speech at the Society for Macedonian Studies in Thessaloniki, he is due for another appearance next Wednesday at City, University of London, while he may also speak at Tufts Fletcher School in Boston at a later date as well.

Former prime ministers, and particularly those still enjoying a good deal of popularity among segments of society, should participate in the public debate and offer their views. Their interventions should be based on honesty, exercising a certain amount of self-criticism with regard to the mistakes they made during their tenure. This is the only way their opinions will carry any weight.

People who have governed the country have a duty - not just to the people who voted for them but to the nation for which they were once...