Greece enters 2009 in limbo

For more than two weeks that followed the shooting of the young Alexis Grigoropoulos by a special police guard shook the public and prompted a disproportionate violent reaction toward the authorities, experts have been trying to find out what was really the reason for such public outcry given the fact that it was not the first time in Greece that a young person was shot down by a brainless police guard.

They cite several reasons that became more apparent this year. Faced with a string of corruption scandals involving the church, justice and politicians, and having to cope with a serious economic crisis mismanaged by short-sighted politicians, the Greeks have been boiling over for some time. The opinion polls for some time now have been showing consistently a deep mistrust toward their politicians and their national institutions.

A prolonged crisis in an under-funded education sector, a sector which has historically been a vital component for the construction of the Greek nation, proved to be one of the most socially costing for the government. The recent riots dominated by young people Ñ school children and students Ñ were also seen as the latest confrontation between the Greek youth and the state after an educational reform program launched in 2006. The program which introduced also private university education was resisted violently by a large majority of the youth and their teaching staff and have since been put on hold.

In spite of the extent of the reaction and the size of the material damage, many Greeks are feeling that this deep crisis hitting their country is transcending the youth whose problems after all are not unique to Greece. "We have a government even the present indescribably incapable one, but a legal one, we have a main opposition party whose rhetoric has not convinced so far those who challenge the system, we have a right camp, more right that the right which fortunately only few trust and we have a left split into two which does not appear wiser or effective than all the others. The doctrine that there is no dead-end in democracy seems doubtful. Until now there has been nobody strong enough politically or socially whose speech would be heard and who would carve a new lineÉWe are not experiencing a revolution, however, we are living an uprising which even without Molotov cocktails and physical damage will continue in the mind. We have a new youth which sides with a nihilistic perception of politics and social relations. How long will this life of devalued system could be extended?" writes the eminent columnist Richardos Someritis, expressing the general feeling among analysts that the events surrounding the Alexis Grigoropoulos killing should be also read as a warning that there is a systemic crisis unfolding.

But as the memory of the charred shop-frames in the center of Athens in early December is fading away, a hot conspiratorial debate is picking up among political and media circles in Athens on the real reasons behind the current crisis. As usual, the conspiracy scenario involves the United States. Actually, the real story, they say, begins back in April when Greece under the Karamanlis Government made a strategic choice to join the South Stream pipeline project which supplies natural gas to Europe via Italy and sign an agreement with Putin's Russia. South Stream was an additional energy project to the Nabucco Project in which Greece is participating through the Turkey-Greece-Italy Interconnector, or TGI, part of the project.

It was no secret then that the pact between Putin and Karamanlis did not please the Americans. Actually, Mathew Bryza, state secretary deputy assistant for Europe and Asia almost implied that Greece deceived the United States by choosing the South Stream Project. While accepting that it is up to Greece to choose as many pipelines as she wants, he pointed out that Greece will have to concentrate first on the TGI project, "otherwise Greece will be left just with the South Stream," he said. Replying to questions why Greece decided to go with the Russians, Bryza said that Karamanlis' government probably, "decided to upgrade its strategic importance by maximizing the number of pipelines passing through its territory."

The conspiracy theorists are convinced that it was then that the problems started for the Greek government; the Americans were fed up with Karamanlis. They actually believe that the recent student unrest, the ineffectiveness of the police to prevent the destruction of Athens and other cities, the strange shooting incidents by unknown assailants against police and the public, etc. etc. which have continued after the killing of Alexi Grigoropoulos, they all show that something more sinister is going on against Greece.

For the time being though, the government is about to re-launch itself and try to regain its lost popularity by a reshuffle expected after the end of the long Christmas season; Jan. 9, is one possible date. To what extent such a reshuffle would give a new impetus to the government which is trailing behind the main opposition party by 3 to 6 points, is debatable. It will be a "recycling of old materials," critics say. If things do not pick up for the government there is also an option of early elections, perhaps in April.

If there are elections in April and if the prime minister loses, then a leadership contest may be the next step. A similar challenge may be faced by the leader of the opposition party of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement,or PASOK, Yorgo Papandreou, if he fails to give his party an electoral victory.

The latest opinion polls underline the deep public mistrust toward all politicians as 25 percent of the Greek public do not think that any of the current leaders is capable of leading their country; and almost 30 percent believe that it would be better for both government and main opposition to govern the Greece together. Greece enters the new year in a political landscape covered with mist. Who will clear the air with what kind of political initiatives is very difficult to foresee.