Editorial: Contradictions

The results of a survey published in the weekend edition of TA NEA regarding the stance of Greeks and Turks toward the US and Russia are quite interesting.

Firstly, the poll indicates that both peoples are nagging and distrustful.

Secondly, in both countries one finds a chasm between foreign policy and public opinion.

Thirdly, it demonstrates that the divisions between the right wing and the left wing are alive and well.

With the war in Ukraine having taken an enormous toll on the economy, the dissatisfaction and pessimism of citizens come as no surprise.

The fact that eight out of ten Turks responded that they are pessimistic may to some extent explain the efforts of their leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to shift the focus of public debate by escalating tensions with Greece.

Moreover, both peoples diachronically are distrustful of their allies.

When asked, “Do the EU and the US support our neighbour more?”, 58.5 percent of Greeks and 55.3 percent of Turks said the EU favours the other side more. As for the US, 47.4 percent of Greek respondents said the US favours Turkey more and 50.3 percent of Turkish respondents said it supports Greece more.

Greeks have an additional particularity. Although most believe that their country’s national interests are best served through cooperation with the US, half of the respondents (and a far larger percentage among left wing respondents) said they want the US out of Europe, suggesting that anti-Americanism remains strong.

Pro-Russia sentiment is also strong in Greece, as the public feels closer to the US as regards security, but closer to the Russians when it comes to family values.

Half of Greek respondents said that the US is to blame for the war in Ukraine.

These contradictions have been studied by historians and sociologists for decades.

The Greeks never hid the fact that they stand with the West politically, but emotionally they retain strong ties with the East.

Yet, the orientation of Greek foreign policy is unswerving.

As the late prime minister, and later president, Constantine Karamanlis once famously said, “We belong to the West.”