Editorial: Irrational civil wars

Undoubtedly the current public health, economic, and political conditions are not the best for celebrating the bicentennial of the beginning of the Greek War of Independence.

At an historic juncture and at an extraordinarily difficult time for the country and its citizens we see ample evidence of the worst aspects of our life as a nation since the revolution of 1821.

In the midst of the tempest caused by the unprecedented public health crisis, we are witnessing in public life the prevalence of small but entirely irrational civil wars which aggravate existing confusion, tensions, hatred, and passions.

The tensions and difficulties wrought by the pandemic are plain to see and there are no magic solutions that can help one transcend it safely and without serious repercussions.

All over the world a wide variety of schemes and models for the political management of the crisis were implemented. In the Western world in particular none of them were completely successful.

Only China can boast that it was more successful in checking the epidemic but it is not a liberal democracy and it implemented absolutely authoritarian policies of policing and monitoring that no country in the Western world could endure.

It is therefore necessary to put things in order.

Obviously over the one year of the pandemic mistakes were made in our country as well.

The first lockdown last spring was enforced in a timely and successful manner.

After that and in light of the pressures on the economy and society there was a loosening of measures that led to disorganisation and a spike in transmission of the virus.

Last autumn in northern Greece the endurance of the National Health System was sorely tested.

Athens now faces a similar...

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