I am not sure what reality Tom Ellis is living in by extending undeserved praise upon the late Richard Holbrooke, “The Absence of Richard Holbrooke” September 8). The settlement regarding the Imia islet in 1996 was not only completely unsatisfactory but compromised Greece’s territorial integrity by forcing Greece to withdraw from a portion of its own territory, no matter how small that territory is. That Mr. Ellis thinks a comparison of Mr. Holbrooke (or any person) to Henry Kissinger is a positive one indicates how completely out of touch with Greek realities that he really is. Outside of left wing and liberal cliques,there is not a single Greek who has anything positive to say about the infamous Henry Kissinger.
Kissinger bears moral responsibility for the Turkish invasions of Cyprus during the summer of 1974 and is responsible for the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Turkish forces against the people of Cyprus. Holbrooke himself was responsible for supporting war crimes against 200,000 Orthodox Christian Serbs in the region of Krajinna during the fall of 1995 and supported the neo-Nazi Croatian government of Franjo Tudjman. In 1999, Holbrooke was the architect of the Ramboullet agreement that was presented to Serbia which would have required that country to give up its province in Kosovo and made war inevitable.
In addition, neither Joe Biden nor the Democratic Party should be considered friends of Greece or Hellenism. Biden served as Vice President in an administration which nearly turned Syria into a failed state and flooded the Greek islands with Syrian refugees. Turkey at the present time is threatening to unleash millions of refugees into Europe. This situation could not exist were it not for the wars that were unleashed by the Bush and Obama administrations against Iraq and Syria. Biden played a huge role in fomenting this refugee problem which has made modern Turkey the terror of Europe much like its Ottoman predecessors in previous centuries.
Actions toward Greece by the Trump administration are uncertain at this point. However, the Trump administration has not bullied Greece into capitulating to Turkey which is exactly what Richard Holbrooke did in 1996 when Greece was forced to withdraw from the islet of Imia. The Trump administration has in many ways formulated a more realistic and sophisticated foreign policy than its immediate predecessors in the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. The Trump administration contributed to the defeat (in collaboration with the Russians) of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq which came into existence because of the wars of the Bush and Obama administrations.
Finally, Joe Biden is an old man who appears to have mental health issues. The Clinton administration and Obama administration did nothing to help Greece or Cyprus. Certainly, the Trump administration must prove itself to win the support of Greek Americans. In any case, the Trump administration has made changes in American foreign policy and there is at least some hope on the horizon. The Democrats will in all likelihood pursue similar policies pursed by all previous administrations that will continue to support Turkey. The Trump administration has explicitly challenged Islamic extremism as in the case of Islamic state, the very same extremism that is now represented by the rise of the Caliphate of Erdogan’s Turkey.
Theodore G. Karakostas
Link to article being responded to
https://www.ekathimerini.com/256669/opinion/ekathimerini/comment/the-absence-of-a-richard-holbrooke
5 replies on “Letter to Kathimerini newspaper (English edition)”
I was appalled when I saw this Opinion piece on Ekathemerini. Why are so many Greeks and Greek Americans such easy marks for the Elites? They’ll fall for any nonsense a Democrat lays in front of them. This is a major reason why Hellenic Issues get little attention or respect in Washington DC, the Dems take the Greek vote for granted and the Repubs know it doesn’t matter what they do-those voters will never support them. We deal ourselves out of the game before the first hand is even played out.
This is true. I do not get it either. The Greek lobby is throwing its weight behind a seventy eight year old with mental health issues and who is presiding over a party that is now Marxist. The idea that the rank and file of the democratic party who fly the rainbow flag would care about Greek issues is preposterous.
A President Biden would appoint someone like Madeleine Albright or Hillary Clinton as his SOS to run foreign policy. Biden’s contribution would be to eat a gyros sandwich on Oxi Day, that’s it.
Biden has a record, he served at half the Obama/Biden team in the last Administration. What did he do for Hellenic Issues as VP? Absolutely nothing. Frankly, Pompeo has been stronger in support of Greece and Cyprus than any other recent SOS we’ve had. He could obviously do better, but he IS better than anyone Biden would nominate to fill that role.
Your comment on eating gyro on Ohi day is exactly right. The
Greek community has no alliances. It is basically politicians showing respect to an ethnic community. Not much more than that. That book I recently read about journalist Elias Demetracopoulos had some informative stuff about the invasion of Cyprus and the Greek american community. The
Greek community correctly cursed Kissinger and supported Carter. Carter however, the book notes disappointed the Greek community. And that is how it has been ever since.
Neither the Clinton nor the Obama administrations did anything for Greece or Cyprus.
Nixon was tied up with Watergate and Kissinger was running US foreign policy almost without hindrance. The whole Cyprus episode was on his watch and with his concurrence. Carter was a southern BSer, nothing more. He promised to get rid of the ‘Elites’ in his Administration, but almost to a man/woman he selected folks out of the CFR and Trilateral Commission to head his cabinets. Carter was a pathological liar, you couldn’t believe a word he said or a promise he made.