St Antony's College

Dame Minouche Shafik is one of the world's most distinguished academics. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1962, Shafik went on to study at Amherst College, Massachusetts, the London School of Economics and St Antony's College, Oxford, and has since worked for some of the most prestigious global institutions.

How can we strengthen ties between Greece and its diaspora, this growing (also as a result of the financial crisis) community that includes politicians, businesspeople, academics, scientists and artists? How can the Greeks who live abroad take a step beyond cost-free, wishful rhetoric and help to tangibly change the situation back home?

A group of academics have condemned legal action taken by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias against the publisher of the Athens Review of Books (ARB), which resulted in the freezing of the publisher's bank accounts and the impounding of proceeds from sales by its distribution company, describing it as "unconscionable" and "vindictive."