The spell is broken
The Greek bourgeoisie played the sorcerer's apprentice when it allied itself with the Serbian and
Bosnian Serb elites. The spell is now broken. And the whole of society is paying the price.
by George Mitralias
Athens, September 1995
GREECE HAS BEEN PART OF THE YUGOSLAV CRISIS Since the beginning. It gave unconditional support to the Belgrade regime and its representatives in Bosnia-Herzegovina. And it has refused to recognise the existence of the Republic of Macedonia. It has even imposed an economic blockade on The consequences are numerous and far-reaching. A nationalist wave has swept over the country. The Yugoslav conflict and the Macedonian crisis have led all tendencies in the political class towards extreme forms of chauvinism. The political spectrum is transformed. In 1993, a split in the classic right wing "New Democracy" party leaded to the creation of the "Political Spring" party, and the collapse of the rightist government. The social democratic party (PASOK) returned to office. In PASOK, like the other parties, nationalist and warmongering tendencies have emerged. These currents talk of "Orthodox Christianity being menaced by Papism [Catholicism] and imperialism". They long for the day when "Greece will share a frontier with Serbia" - which implies the military destruction of the Republic of Macedonia. This chauvinist degeneration has created a new dividing line within the Greek political class. The traditional left-right polarisation has slowly lost its intensity, to be replaced by a polarisation between isolationist chauvinists who advocate a strong-arm policy towards Albania and Macedonia, and more moderate nationalists who try to calm expansionist desires in order to maintain Greece's position inside the European Union. More importantly perhaps, these changes at the top have been accompanied by a transformation at the base. Millions have marched in the street to denounce the "encirclement" of Greece by the Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Turkey, Papism, America, the West and/or the Islamic crescent.
They invoke an elective affinity between Serbs and Greeks: the same cult of the ethnically "pure" state and the same unstoppable faith in the messianic mission of our "chosen people". They condemn the "international anti-Greek and anti-orthodox conspiracy". And they propose an "orthodox axis" of Greeks, Serbs and Russians. THIS IS A REAL POPULAR MASS MOVEMENT, encouraged by demagogues, the media, an overwhelming majority of intellectuals, and above all by the last two governments -first New Democracy, then PASOK. It has passed from words to actions. There are systematic and openly racist search and control operations aimed at undocumented Albanian immigrants. There are terrorist actions inside Albania, some carried out by the same Greek fascist commandos who fight in Bosnia alongside the Bosnian Serbs. The day after Srebrenica fell, several Athens daily newspapers reported with joy that "the Greek flag now flies over Srebrenica". Later that day one Greek volunteer announced on the country's largest television station that "once the artillery stopped, we went in to carry out the cleaning operation". This whole underworld is manipulated by the Greek secret services. Such statements have become common currency. 80% of the population declare sympathy for racist, chauvinist ideas. From Prime Minster Papandreou and the Orthodox Church to the major newspapers and the trade unions, "opinion-makers" have declared their faith in an "ethnically pure and homogeneous state" in Greece. Logically, this can only lead them to support ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. A part of big Greek capital recognises that this isolationist, anti-western and bellicose orientation of the bourgeoisie until now is an economic and diplomatic disaster. They want to
International Viewpoint n° 271 - November 1995 13
including alliances with hierarchy
14 International Viewpoint n° 271 — November 1995
* Greece extend their field of operations into the newly-opened economies of Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria. They denounce the "visionary" policy of the majority of the Greek political elite as a dangerous delusion. They appeal for a policy of "normal" economic penetration of the neighbouring countries. In all the major parties, "moderates" are coming to the fore. IN THE NAME OF THIS REDISCOVERED REALISM, the advocates of "Greater Greece" have calmed down, and changed strategy. Profiting from the disorientation of public opinion and the passivity of the traditional left, the pragmatists now call for the normalisation of relations with Albania and Macedonia. Adventurism has not worked, so they adapt. On 13 September Prime
NA TH NIKH
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5 СТО ХТОХАЕТРІ
Orthodox Church, and even the extreme neo-nationalist currents in Greek politics. The "well-meaning" left stands accused and culpable. The Communist Party even more so [.] In branding Bosnians, Albanians, Macedonians and the few "cosmopolitan" Greeks who opposed Karadzic's macabre activities as "sworn enemies of Greece" the Greek left failed the most decisive of tests. THE WORST IS PERHAPS BEHIND, but society has been transformed by the experience. The left and the trade unions were unable to present an effective alternative to the simplistic slogans of the neo-Orthodox and pogromist mobs. Anger at growing pauperisation has been channeled towards substitute targets: "the foreigners who take the bread from our mouths"
We gave chase to the "Other" — all those wh are different,
Papandreou signed the document recognising, at long last, or even poorer than we were. Greeks "discovered"
the existence of the Republic of Macedonia.
imperialism and the class enemy just north of our frontiers.
It would be naive to think that this explosion of Greek
All there is in reality are a few poor neighbour states nationalism was an unpleasant episode which is finally looking for their place in the sun. We have been fighting over. It has left a number of open wounds in Greek society.
They will not heal quickly.
We are waking up from this collective nightmare. But
New Democracy and PASOK were temporarily able to several paintul surprises await us. The political divisions arrest their irreversible decline by playing the nationalist may look the same, but the whole terrain has shifted to the card. Both parties now emerge so weakened and right. Fascist groupings, openly calling for the uprooting of discredited that nothing seems able to prevent their minorities of all kinds, have emerged in both the major disintegration, sooner rather than later. Faced with such a political parties. Such groups did not exist before the crisis, the major currents of the bourgeoisie are already considering how to transfer their support to more effective
The intelligentsia was once clearly to the left. Nowadays our political instruments.
intellectuals have discovered the eternal "values" of
As for the left, the balance sheet is almost as negative as for
Orthodox Christianity, and are cultivating the ideas of
"Greece the immortal". That is, when they are not busy the major parties. While the (Stalinist) Communist Party and the Left Coalition refused to support anti-immigrant visiting Pale or Banja Luka to have themselves police campaigns, and abstained from the anti-Albanian photographed alongside the Bosnian Serb General Mladic.
and anti-Macedonian hysteria, both parties were unable to defend what should have been their principle strength —
THE APPRENTICESHIP IS OVER. The Greek bourgeoisie is now solidarity between workers of different ethnic and national origins.
paying the price of its adventurism, caught up in a web of its own making. Just as the bourgeoisie tries to make us
The Greek left has been unable to orient itself in a world forget yesterday's expansionist dreams, and as it strives to where "actually existing
"normalise" relations with our northern neighbours, our socialism" no longer rulers find it more and more difficult to "normalise" their
The 1995 bound exists. They mistakenly own monster children. One day after Papandreou thought recognised the Republic of Macedonia, the Communal collection of
Karadzic and Mladic
Council in the north Greek town of Florina voted to wipe
International were "Europe's last antiout the shame which the town carried. The good citizens of
Viewpoint will imperialists". Hence
Florina were thinking of the headquarters of "Rainbow" — their "anti-imperialist"
soon be available, the political party which represents this country's Slavosupport price SUS25,/£15.
Macedonian minority. One hour after the vote, there were chauvinist policies of the no traces of this "shame". All had been consumed in the
Previous years
Greek cost $US15/£10 the
(airmail outside EU +10%)
with ghosts.
Yugoslav crisIs.
Milosevic, for the government:
fire.
reactionary of the
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Morocco