Word: papandreou
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...outbursts against the West, Papandreou's sallies have largely proved to be grandstanding. In the main, they have been the product of the historic enmity between Greece and Turkey, a fellow NATO member. That confrontation intensified after the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, in which Greeks are the ethnic majority. During Papandreou's tenure, the two countries have failed to resolve long-standing disputes over air and sea jurisdiction around Greek islands off Turkey's Aegean coast, as well as over the 1983 declaration of independence by Turkish Cypriots in the zone under their control...
Most Greeks join Papandreou in decrying what they consider a U.S. tilt toward Turkey as a strategically more important NATO partner. Nonetheless, following his 1981 election, the Prime Minister failed to follow through on earlier threats to pull Greece out of NATO and the European Community. Moreover, despite his continued opposition to the presence of U.S. bases, Papandreou negotiated a five-year renewal of the leases in 1983. Says an adviser at NATO headquarters in Brussels: "By his standards, at least, he has been less extreme. We're hoping everyone will give him the benefit of the doubt...
...less charitable calculation is that Papandreou will now be too preoccupied with domestic problems to needle Greece's allies. During the campaign, he promised to "guarantee the expansion of the welfare state," mainly in the areas of pensions and health care, rather than institute prudent austerity measures. If he pursues that promise, Greece's economic woes might worsen. Inflation now stands at 18.5%, the highest in Western Europe. Unemployment has more than doubled, to 8%; among Greek youth it is estimated to be around 28%. Foreign investment has dried up, local capital has fled the country, and despite European Community...
...that logic, Papandreou should make no potentially disruptive external moves. The U.S.-base leases, for example, help to bring Greece $500 million a year in U.S. military aid. The facilities also provide work for about 1,650 Greeks. To be on the safe side, however, the U.S. Defense Department has made contingency plans to relocate the bases if necessary...
Domestically, Papandreou has made clear that he is intent on increasing his ; personal power. Last March he shocked many of his countrymen when he abruptly withdrew his backing for a second term for Constantine Caramanlis, then the country's President. A conservative, pro-Western politician revered by most Greeks, Caramanlis had been a moderating influence on Papandreou. The Prime Minister replaced him with his own candidate, Leftist Christos Sartzetakis, and in coming weeks Parliament is expected to pass a constitutional amendment severely restricting the powers of the presidency. The presidential office's loss of power will be Papandreou's gain...