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Agora

In ancient Athens, the agora was the central location where citizens gathered to hear news, discuss and, later, trade. The agora was the heart of the city’s political, cultural and spiritual life and it gave birth to the Greek word for speaking in public: ἀγορεύω (agorevo). It is this spirit we hope to channel in this section of the website.

Here, the Agora is a public forum for discussing events that are unfolding in Greece and beyond. Contributors to Macropolis, as well as guest posters, share their views on political, economic and other matters, while also offering readers the opportunity to express their opinions. As always, those who fail to respect the sanctity of this forum will not be allowed to share in its benefits.

Posts by Nick Malkoutzis

Results 111 to 115 out of 122.

Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com] Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras held an informal dinner with some of his party’s MPs. He reportedly told them that if Greece would be able to get through a tough summer, it would “take off” in September. We are now nearing the end of October and there has been no departure for the skies. Instead, Samaras is bracing for impact.

Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis

1 Comment(s)

Categories: Europe (119), Politics (171), Economy (169), Greece (260)

Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com] House of cards (The rise and fall of Akis Tsochatzopoulos)

It was the house that did for him. Former Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos succumbed to the base desire of enshrining his wealth and potency in real estate. Hubris, however, blinded him to the dangers of choosing a property within a marble fragment’s throw of the Parthenon. On some days, the Acropolis’s shadow virtually touched the luxury apartment the PASOK veteran purchased on Athens’ most exclusive road.

Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis

3 Comment(s)

Categories: Politics (171), Society (34), Greece (260)

A quarter-pounder democracy

Just under 17 years ago, New York Times commentator Thomas Friedman put forward a theory that if McDonald’s restaurants open in a country, a functioning democracy and institutions won’t be far behind. In July, the last McDonald’s operating in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, closed. Friedman did not opine on whether the opposite of his theory was also true.

Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis

7 Comment(s)

Categories: Society (34), Greece (260)

Nightmare on Democracy Street

Fascists attacking communists: It could have been a story from war-ravaged Greece’s civil conflict in the late 40s. Instead, it is a tale from the streets of Athens, the capital of a long-standing member of the European Union, in 2013. Hopes had been building recently that Greece would soon wake from its economic nightmare but its political and social one may be just about to begin.

Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis

1 Comment(s)

Categories: Politics (171), Economy (169), Society (34), Greece (260)

Results 111 to 115 out of 122.