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Greco-Turkish Relations and the Greek Socialists: Ideology, Nationalism and Pragmatism

1983; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 1; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/mgs.2010.0045

1086-3265

Van Coufoudakis,

Russia and Soviet political economy

Greco-Turkish Relations and the Greek Socialists: Ideology, Nationalism and Pragmatism* Van Coufoudakis Andreas Papandreou, the founder of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), is not a newcomer1 in the Greek political scene. However , PASOK was established on September 3, 1974, following the restoration of democracy in Greece, and becoming the first major Socialist party in that country. Thus, the party's foreign policy positions must be traced to the origins of PASOK in P.A.K.,2 and to the personal political experiences of its charismatic founder. The party's ideological pronouncements of the 1974—1980 period resemble more those of its Third World counterparts than the typical Euro-socialist party.3 Greece is viewed as an economically underdeveloped state in the capitalist periphery, economically, politically and militarily dependent on the West. Consequently, the conservative governments that led Greece since the end of World War II had pursued a "mono-dimensional and one-sided policy of dependence"4 that led * Paper presented at the International Studies Association Conference, Mexico City, Mexico (April 5-9, 1983). 'Son of liberal Greek Prime Minister Papandreou, "Andreas," as he is popularly known, is a respected economist and a former U.S. citizen. Arrested for his radical political views as a student during the Metaxas dictatorship, he was eventually released and came to the U.S. where he pursued his academic career. He returned to Greece as an economic adviser to the government in the early 1960s and became active in Greek politics with his father's return to power in 1964. Arrested and imprisoned by the military junta that seized control of Greece on April 21, 1967, he was once more exiled. During his exile he founded P.A.K., the Panhellenic Liberation Movement, an organization dedicated to the overthrow of the junta and the restoration of democracy in Greece. 2See footnote 1. 'For a critical analysis of PASOK see Angelos Elephantis, "PASOK and the Elections of 1977: The Rise of the Populist Movement," in Howard R. Penniman, Greece at the PolL·—The National Elections of 1974 and 1977 (Washington and London: American Enterprise Institute, 1981) 105-129. 4PASOK, Diakiryxi Kyvernitikis Politikis—Symvolaio Me To Lao (Athens, 1981) 31. Further listings as Platform. 373 374 Van Coufoudakis to continuous concessions, policy ambivalence, sacrifice of sovereign rights, and led to a deadlock over vital Greek interests. This policy, the "great obsession of. . . we belong to the West," had forced Greece to "fall prey to their (i.e., Western) military plans and wishes, devoid of friends in every respect, . . ."5 while neglecting the fact that Greece is not only a European but also a Balkan and a Mediterranean country. These conditions set the theme for the broad ideological principles of "national independence, popular sovereignty, social liberation and socialist transformation, equality, democracy, peaceful coexistence , respect for the country's territorial integrity, non-interference and multi-dimensional foreign policy" that guided the PASOK platform .6 Thus the Megali Allaghi, the "great change," promised by the party is founded on the principles and methodology of Marxism, but also on the rejection of Leninism and its application in Eastern Europe and the USSR. This ideological framework has been supplemented and enhanced by actual political developments in post-war Greece, including the 1967 military takeover and the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, which have been attributed to the American penetration of the country. These developments, along with the socio-economic changes that occurred in Greece in the preceding two decades, and the growing popular disillusionment with the domestic and foreign policy performance of the ruling New Democracy conservative party, contributed to PASOK's meteoric rise to power and to the election victory of October 18, 1981.7 ISSUES IN GRECO-TURKISH RELATIONS 1973-1983 This is not the place to analyze in detail the key issues affecting GrecoTurkish relations. This has been done effectively elsewhere.8 It is 5Papandreou's speech in Parliament, May 20, 1977, in PASOK, International Relations Committee, Foreign Polity, Series D, Publication No. 2, September 1977, 6. ^Platform, 14-17. 'The following statistics indicate the remarkable rise to power by PASOK between 1974 and 1981. Elections Percent of popular vote Parliamentary seats 1974 13.6 12 of...