Where do US-Greece relations go in 2020?

In 2020, the Greek-American alliance will finally match in spirit what it has long claimed to be on paper. True, Athens and Washington were allies in theory during the Cold War, but Greek unease at American foreign policy in the Balkans and Middle East eroded trust. Now, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s transformation of Turkey from an aspiring democracy back into a dictatorship, engine for Islamism and a terror sponsor, has alarmed officials in both the United States and Greece. The common threat Turkey poses in the Eastern Mediterranean has driven the United States and Greece together, not only as strategic partners but also as upholders of shared values. Importantly, this realization transcends politics in both countries. In Washington, foreign policy has become a political football with Democrats and Republicans taking different sides with regard to different countries. Greece is happily embraced in a bipartisan way. Many Greeks, whether from traditionally left- or right-wing parties, meanwhile, recognize that the United States cannot be encapsulated just into the occupant of the White House.

Beyond foreign policy and governmental relations, however, the United States and Greece are poised to take business to the next level. The issue is not simply Eastern Mediterranean gas, but business more broadly. Greece has weathered significant economic troubles over the last several years, but successfully reset its economy on firmer foundations. This makes Greece an increasingly attractive partner in a variety of fields, each of which will tie the American and Greek peoples closer together. Frankly speaking, that is both desirable and long overdue.

 
Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he researches Arab politics, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Iraq, the Kurds, terrorism, and Turkey. He concurrently teaches classes on terrorism for the FBI and on security, politics, religion, and history for US and NATO military units.

A former Pentagon official, Dr. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and both pre- and postwar Iraq, and he spent time with the Taliban before 9/11. He is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring Iranian history, American diplomacy, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics, including “Kurdistan Rising” (AEI Press, 2016), “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes” (Encounter Books, 2014); and “Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos” (Palgrave, 2005).

Dr. Rubin has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in history from Yale University, where he also obtained a B.S. in biology.

Πηγή: aei.org