It wasn’t too long ago that Greece seemed to be going from crisis to crisis, with Grexit being thrown around as a real possibility. Today, we’re seeing Greece described as a European success story. Peter Spiegel, the US managing editor of the Financial Times, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss Greece’s transformation from the depths of the financial crisis to today. We look at the importance of maintaining this momentum after the upcoming elections, while placing this discussion within the broader context of global uncertainties - from the banking sector to Ukraine and the US-China rivalry.

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Greece is a European success story

Greece inching closer to acquiring F-35s

Putin hails Turkey ties as first Turkish nuclear plant inaugurated

With election season in full swing, Greece’s politicians are trying to engage with a group of voters that may not have received their full attention in the past: young voters. We’ve seen political leaders take to TikTok, speak to YouTubers, and create content targeting this specific bloc of voters. Given this emphasis on winning the youth vote, Nikos Efstathiou, the deputy editor in chief at the weekly magazine LiFO and a former journalist with Kathimerini, joins Thanos Davelis to look into what young Greeks are looking for in these upcoming elections. 

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Government set sights on 420,000 new voters

After Greece's worst train crash, young Greeks rally for change ahead of elections

PM unveils program for next four years

BoC gets on course for upgrade

The campaign for Greece’s May 21 national election officially kicked off on Saturday with the dissolution of parliament, and political parties, which have already been making their pitch to the Greek people, are now in full campaign mode. At the same time, observers are watching to see how developments on Greece’s far-right in the last few days will impact the political scene. Tom Ellis, the editor-in-chief of Kathimerini English Edition, joins Thanos Davelis from Athens with the latest analysis on the election, including the various campaigns, the potential for a new far-right party to enter parliament, the role of the media, and the need to begin discussing the day after the elections.

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Campaign for Greek election begins with dissolved parliament

The day after the elections

Map challenges Greek sovereignty

Turkey’s Erdogan Faces Biggest Election Challenge Over Economy

Will Turkey’s inflation crisis damage Erdogan’s re-election chances?

April 24th marks the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This year, commemorations take on a new meaning as Armenians continue to face hostility as Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, continues its monthslong blockade of the only route into Artsakh, the Armenian-governed enclave in Nagorno-Karabakh, cutting off food, water, and gas. Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss why this year’s commemoration of the Armenian Genocide takes on a new sense of urgency, look at the US response to Azerbaijan’s aggression, and explore the steps Congress is taking to give meaning to the words Never Again. 

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Biden Must Go Beyond A Cut-And-Paste Job On Armenian Genocide Recognition

Congress Marks Armenian Genocide by Warning of Second Genocide against Artsakh

Armenian Genocide Education Act Introduced

President Biden’s April 24 Statement Silent on Azerbaijan’s Genocidal Actions Against Artsakh

Military plane traveling to Egypt to collect Greeks evacuated from Sudan

Dendias raises concerns over EU handling of Sudan crisis

Greek president approves PM request for May 21 election

Mitsotakis stresses need for political stability after May 21 vote

EU lawmakers on Thursday gave the green light to a series of proposals aimed at finally ending years of standoff over how to manage migration, an issue that has provoked one of the bloc’s biggest political crises. The move comes amid a spike in both legal and illegal migration across Europe. The question now is whether EU countries can finally reform their creaking asylum system before Europe-wide elections next year. Alexandra Voudouri, Kathimerini’s Brussels correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to look at these proposals and break down what it means for Europe and frontline states like Greece.

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EU lawmakers approve migration plan, set clock ticking

EU lawmakers endorse pact to revise migration rules

S&P points to upcoming rating upgrade

Menendez reiterates opposition to sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey

On Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that the Turkish state-owned Halkbank remains subject to criminal prosecution in US courts for fraud, money laundering, and sanctions offenses related to the bank’s alleged participation “in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran.” The case has strained US-Turkish relations. Jonathan Schanzer, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Senior Vice President for Research with an expertise on terror financing, joins Thanos Davelis to look into this Supreme Court decision, discuss what it could mean for Turkey’s President Erdogan, and explain why it sends a strong message to illicit actors that the US justice system cannot and will not shield them.

Read FDD’s analysis with expert commentary from Jonathan Schanzer: Supreme Court Allows Iran Sanctions-Evasion Case Against Turkish Bank to Proceed

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US Supreme Court gives Turkey's Halkbank another chance to avoid charges

In Prosecution of Turkish Bank, the Supreme Court Issues a Mixed Ruling

EU lawmakers greenlight migration plan, set clock ticking

EU lawmakers endorse pact to revise migration rules

Ministry publishes commission report on Tempe rail disaster

About a week ago the US imposed sanctions on Turkish entities it said violated US export controls and helped Russia's war effort. This is part of ongoing efforts to “cut off more of the international assets and finance channels still connecting Moscow’s economy to global trade and finance.” Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look into why this move is significant, and break down how the blind eye that Ankara turns toward many forms of illicit finance has aided certain Turkish entities in defying Western sanctions against Russia. 

Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

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U.S. Sanctions Turkish Entities for Aiding Russian War Effort

In Support of a Democratic Turkey

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Cyprus says will not tolerate sanctions-busting amid scrutiny

Government to create sanctions implementation unit

Menendez: Turkey must ‘end belligerence’ toward Greece to get F-16s

On Monday the Biden's administration notified Congress of the planned sale to Turkey of avionics software upgrades for its current fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal valued at up to $259 million. The deal, which would mark the first military equipment sale to Turkey in years, moved ahead after leaders of U.S. congressional committees gave informal approval. Petros Kasfikis, the Washington DC correspondent for the Athens News Agency and Mega TV, joins Thanos Davelis to break down the details of this deal, what it means for the potential sale of F-16s to Turkey, and explore whether this signals a shift in Washington when it comes to Ankara.

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US sets $259 million F-16 equipment sale to Turkey

Effort to halt Turkey’s patenting ‘Turkaegean’

Chevron seeks drilling ship to expand East Med gas search

What will the impact on Turkey’s foreign policy be should Kemal Kilicdaroglu and the Turkish opposition manage to unseat President Erdogan in the upcoming elections in May? Some observers envision a quick reversal of Erdogan’s anti-Western approach, while others warn that we might see a striking degree of continuity. A look at the opposition’s record and platform suggests something in between given its stated goals of improving relations with the West while simultaneously continuing to pursue a more independent foreign policy. Nicholas Danforth, a Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP - the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, joins Thanos Davelis to break down what an opposition win would mean for Ankara’s foreign policy.

Read Nicholas Danforth’s latest policy paper for ELIAMEP here: A New New Turkey? What an Opposition Victory Would Mean for Ankara’s Foreign Policy

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Election campaign set to shift gears

BoC, first bank in Cyprus and Greece to receive ECB’s approval to pay dividends

An ‘important milestone’ for Bank of Cyprus

Greece’s Parliament voted on Tuesday to ban the extreme-right Greeks-National Party from running in the upcoming elections, aiming to block its members linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn criminal organization from entering parliament. The decision comes ahead of what could be a tight race between the ruling New Democracy and opposition Syriza parties. Nektaria Stamouli, Politico’s Athens-based Eastern Mediterranean correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to look at why Greece’s parliament has taken this step and break down its broader implications for the upcoming elections.

Read Nektaria Stamouli’s report in Politico: Greek parliament votes to ban extreme-right party from elections

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Greek far-right party seeks to defy election ban

U.S. sanctions Turkey-based entities it says helped Russia's war

Energy Minister puts forth Cyprus' natural gas to cut costs for consumers

Minister explores options for expediting gas extraction