Greeks Are the New Albanians

I clearly remember the early-late 90s when young and old Albanians in search of a better life crossed the borders—admittedly legally or illegally—into Greece, where they were met with menial jobs, police abuse, inhumane treatment at customs or in custody, as well as with cultural and religious pressure to alter their identities.

These are all true and easily researchable, but the latter is the most heinous of them all and relevant to this rant of sorts: upon arriving in Greece, most Albanians were, indeed, under great pressure to change their religion to Greek Orthodox, or at the very least, their names to typical Greek- or Orthodox-sounding names. It did not matter whether they were Orthodox in Albania but happened to have a religiously-neutral name like 'Ilir' or 'Arben'; when they went to Greece, adult Ilirs and Arbens were quickly baptized (humiliatingly by taking a dip in large cauldrons while wearing nothing but their skivvies, might I add!) to become 'Ilia' or 'Andrea.' The pressure of conversion or name changes was, of course, greater for those of Muslim extraction who had clearly Muslim-sounding names.

Today, as Greece faces the mess in which it got itself—while making no attempt to persecute those former leaders who fattened their bank accounts... hello!—it is the young people of Greece who find themselves seeking fortune and employment elsewhere.

The New York Times tells the story of a handful of young Greeks whose primary aim is to emigrate. One of them is Alexandra Mallosi and she is going to Abu Dhabi. I wonder if, once there, she will have to change her name to 'Asalah' or 'Yasmina'....

Technically, Greece holds itself capable of greater civility than certain other nations (among which Abu Dhabi must certainly figure), yet I have a feeling Alexandra will remain Alexandra even in Abu Dhabi.

I should be gleaming with schadenfreude about this whole situation, but I ought to make it clear that I do have mixed feelings about the Greek crisis.... I did, however, feel compelled to share this bit of what some might call 'karma.' I won't call it that, not believing in it and all....

'Monk Business'

Vanity Fair takes an exhaustive look at Greece's financial woes and how a handful of monks on Mount Athos helped to create it and/or benefited from it.

On a related note, I have a short-term solution for Greece: have your church bail you out. Technically, the church and state are one and the same. One hand washes the other, I say.

Greece

The Economist has a good and well-researched profile on Greece, its mistakes, its current state, and its prospects for the future. Worth a read, if you have the time.

Greek Tragedy Exposes Greek Mendacity

It seems as though Greeks will soon get the loan/bailout they've been looking to get from the IMF and the EU. Although few in the European Union are happy about this, it is worthwhile to note that this tragedy has also served to highlight the mendacity of the Greek government throughout the years. If you ask me, it all stems from a delusion of grandeur that modern Greek governments and the Greek Orthodox Church (and, to an extent, the people) have had about themselves. They still fancy themselves the same as their ancient forebears and demand the respect and regard worthy of the latter. As a result, the Greek machine has felt undeservingly entitled to the same advancements that the rest of Europe has achieved and has disingenuously portrayed itself as the economic and political equal to its European peers in order to obtain, first, EU membership and, secondly, the Euro.

At the same time, while touting once again their glorious past, and while exploiting their position in the EU they have become nothing short of a bully in Balkanic relations. They have set conditions (read, obstacles) for Albania's and Macedonia's membership in the EU and other European/North-Atlantic alliances, quoting as reason, in the case of Macedonia, a name, and complicating relations with Albania because of a Greek minority there of less than 3%, which has enjoyed special rights more than Albanians have ever dreamt of enjoying in Greece. It is of importance to note here that Greece is the only country in Europe (and perhaps in the world) that does not recognize religious or ethnic minorities within its territory.

Similarly, Greek governments have continuously been clutching to what they call The Great Idea, which consists of territorial pretensions in southern Albania. Greece has thus become a country with overt pretensions over another territory (and today, the Albanian nation) since its inception in 1829, and has recently become an insurmountable, unreasonable obstacle over a question of simple toponymy/onomastics, bringing the etymology of the word 'hypocrisy' closer to its meaning. At the same time, Greece has yet to invalidate its declaration of war on Albania since the latter was used as a platform by Mussolini to launch his attack on Greece. In other words, Greece is still at war with Albania and refuses to act to change that status.

I don't know if I am happy to see Greece where it is today. Behind a government's machinations lie the common people and I do not wish them any ills. I do, however, hope—for Greece's best and for the best of Balkanic and European relations—that this crisis, however tragic and taxing, will serve to set the current and future Greek governments along the path of better neighborly relations and more earnestness with themselves and their European counterparts.

[Yes, this is a rant.]