Turkey- Why Tsipras is optimistic for 2016

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Although domestic and foreign media saw Tsipras’ appearance in Davos as a failure what the Greek Prime Minister said caused a sensation. And almost before he had even finished his sentence came an upgrade by Standard & Poor’s. Coincidence?

Obviously not. Even though the take Tsipras to be ignorant on economics he isn’t “stupid” as Schaeuble called him more or less up front. He isn’t “stupid” because he knows very well what is happening on the global political chessboard. And this knowledge makes him feared in European circles. Tsipras still annoys the white collars of Brussels and Germany. Schaeuble’s and German newspaper Die Welt’s attempt to demote Tsipras implies rustration and lack of composure.

Europe has failed at everything. The economy is shrinking inequalities are growing racism and the far right are surging in member-states. The Europe of Democracy and altruism is lost and the dissolution of Europe seems even closer. Solely responsible for all this is German rule all for profit and interrelated business with a large dose of revanchist intentions for its lost wars.

Despite the many mistakes he has made and his inexperience Alexis Tsipras still has the look and visionary perspective of the Left. Perhaps with a dose of arrogance and risk ignorance he is heralding a different view to the world community. A view that brings back in in a fluid geopolitical reshuffle the need to return or if you want to step forward to the next day in Europe and the world community through a more Left-wing vision.

Europe’s failure to manage the economic refugee and other crises that touched it paved the way for the reemergence of a dipole between the US and Russia. Europe is not a pole anymore but rather the tail of America.

The United States know and understand the volatility of the situation and Greece which is wedged at the heart of Europe but also the most flammable part of the region the Middle East is the part of the puzzle the US want to strengthen. The moves of cooperation between Greece and Cyprus Egypt and Israel always with the blessing of the US are not accidental. Bulgaria’s turn on issues of energy and cooperation with Greece is also not by chance. Nor is the opening with Turkey and optimism for a solution to the Cyprus issue at this particular point in time random. And of course the blatant intervention of the US Secretary of State in the negotiation in the summer was not accidental.

Tsipras knows all of this. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is carrying out the plan for Greece to emerge as an important player in the wider region. It is the country that has good or excellent relations with all the sides involved. With the US Russia and the Arab countries. Greece is not just a bankrupt country. It is lively and has a say.

Netanyahu Sissi Rohan and not only them have put their faith in Tsipras. Agreements that have not yet been announced are many and will greatly benefit Greece. They are coming and Tsipras knows this.

Changes that occurred in Portugal Spain and those coming in Italy France and Britain with Brexit are creating a difficult situation in the EU. The Greek PM knows this too; perhaps he had even partly predicted it I should say.

The refugee issue is not a noose just for Greece. It is for Europe too even if some in Brussels believe that by abolishing the Schengen Agreement they could close their borders to refugee flows. It will be the end of the EU if it is entrenched with fences and controls increasing costs for many sectors of the economy.

China is the major economic issue for the global community. Russia is reaffirming its power status and the US want to preserve everything that is theirs. Iran is on the up and India is not indifferent. The landscape is complicated and unclear. The need for stability is a must and Tsipras has put the stability in the region card on the table with all that this entails.

Anyway for Tsipras and Greece it is one last chance to succeed where most have failed.

By Spiros Sideris