RESEARCH AREAS

Thalia Tzanetti
(RIEAS Senior Analyst)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Thursday’s (24 June 2010) terrorist attack against the Ministry of Citizen Protection, which claimed the life of a highly-regarded police officer, was the latest, most spectacular and lethal example of the recent rise in terrorist activity in Greece. It has not been a secret that high-profile attacks have been sought and that targets of increasing symbolism have been becoming the focus of terrorists’ attention. The fact that the perpetrators caught the whole security apparatus by surprise, however, and that they succeeded, not only unhindered but, as it turns out by the investigations, even unwillingly aided, to carry out the attack, is undoubtedly unprecedented and marks a significant victory for the terrorists.

Thalia Tzanetti
(RIEAS Senior Analyst)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Ever since the recent arrests of the six suspected terrorists, what continues to strike me as particularly odd is a specific aspect of what the Police discovered: How can a 31-year-old, a 30-year-old, three 26-year-olds and a 21-year-old have in their possession (or have access to) two scorpion submachine guns, one unidentified submachine gun, three AK-47 assault rifles, one unidentified assault rifle, 200 grams of TNT, fifty kilograms of ANFO -a mixture widely used in improvised explosives devices-, rounds of ammunition, three hand grenades and a sizable collection of other, relatively trivial, yet rather costly, items?

Nikolas Stylianou
(RIEAS Research Associate & Security Analyst)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr 

On Thursday the 24th February Cypriot political parties – except from the ruling party of AKEL – voted for the affiliation of the Republic of Cyprus with the Partnership for Peace Programme. In response to the above, the President of the Republic of Cyprus exercised –for the first time since the Republic’s declaration of independence – his right to veto legislature’s decision. President Christofia’s veto against the decision of the House of Representatives caused intense reaction from the opposition (Democratic Rally, Social-Democrats, European Party and the Green Party), as well the centre-right co-governing, Democratic Party. This article seeks to underline that the affiliation of the Republic of Cyprus with the Partnership for Peace (PfP), is a de facto necessity and must top the strategic agenda of the Cypriot government.

Dr. George Vardangalos
(Electrical and Computer Engineer, IT Consultant, EPIS Ltd)

During the last weeks, we are witnesses of a “new” global financial crisis that was triggered by the S&P’s downgrade of US credit rating. The real causes were the global sovereign debt crisis, the slowdown of growth in Europe and the US, the possibility for many western countries to enter again in a recession and of course the end of the QE2 program in the US. This crisis has lately signs of a “Lehman-like” borrowing crunch in the EU among its banks.... Read more

Mr. Daniel Pipes
(President of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University)

Copyright: www.DanielPipes.org

PS. Mr. Daniel Pipes is a Member of RIEAS International Advisory Board.

Remember the name Kastelorizo; you heard it here first. It is the far-flung, easternmost island of Greece, 80 miles from Rhodes, 170 miles west of Cyprus, but just 1 mile off the coast of Turkey. Kastelorizo (in Greek, Καστελόριζο; or officially Megisti, Μεγίστη) is tiny, comprising just 5 square miles, plus some yet smaller, uninhabited islands. .....  Read more

Daniel Little
(RIEAS Senior Advisor)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Much of the worldwide political and economic discussions entering 2012 focused on the reconciliation of economies, public budget deficits and how it affected standards of living.  For a number of reasons Greece serves as the bellwether for what other European countries wish to avoid; in essence the stark reality posed by austerity.  While Greek history defines our earliest understanding of democracy and citizenship, the more poignant lessons of Greece’s current situation lies further beneath the surface; namely the symbiotic relationships between government, economics and the cloak of security that envelopes them both.  No one in their respective capitals speak openly over the tear gas rolling across Athen’s Syntagma Square because this equally mirrors home just as much as the television news.  While the discourse over who is at fault and who should pay is played out for journalists, something far more symptomatic is at work.  The issue is what I identify as ‘counter-intuitive nationalism.’  In other words, this is not an exclusive Greek example.  Instead all countries are guilty of it to some degree and it is what they intend to do about it that ultimately determines the direction of an economy, a government’s leadership during unpopularity and a country’s overall security.  Greece only happens to be one of the first countries to undergo this catharsis.