Greece has long been seen as a civilizational state. Although well intentioned, this overly ambitious characterization based on fallacious reasoning cannot be applied to the Hellenic Republic. Given how many millennia separate modern Athens from the height of Hellenism, imagining Greece as a civilizational state implies that its best days are behind it. As a small nationalist state with a vibrant diaspora scattered across 140 countries, Greeks should instead think of themselves as a tribe. This change in mentality is crucial to building a stronger, more robust and more inclusive Greece.
The long list of Hellenism’s contributions to Western civilization is undeniable: philosophy, the concept of democracy, and the foundations of modern medicine, science, and geometry. And so on. Nevertheless, the demographic, economic, cultural and military weight of Greece is incomparable to that of other civilizational states such as France, China, Russia, Turkey, Iran and America.
Greece was colonized for centuries. Although ancient Greek philosophy flourished in the late Middle Ages, Greece itself was deprived of the Renaissance and Enlightenment due to Ottoman occupation. Meanwhile, Athens’ civilization-state counterparts conquered their neighbors, expanded their empires, and imposed their rules and value systems abroad – including on the Greeks themselves.
Today, Greece is a small state facing colossal challenges. Having been the first to diagnose narcissism over 2,000 years ago, it is normal for many Greeks to maintain an “imperial” mindset due to overemphasis on the civilizational aspect of narcissism. Hellenism. This often manifests itself as Hellenes imagining themselves as more powerful or important than them on a global scale.
Such unrealistic perceptions result in unachievable expectations and goals, followed by failures and disappointments. A philosophical overhaul is necessary to rectify this cognitive dissonance. The Hellenic Republic should borrow from the State of Israel and begin conceptualizing Greeks as members of the same tribe rather than perceiving Greece as a civilizational state.
Instead of viewing Hellenic identity as a right reserved for a privileged few, Greece should seek to integrate Greeks from around the world under its umbrella, based on the principle that they are all members of the same extended family. This change of perspective will allow the Hellenes to slowly but surely rid themselves of whatever remains of the “imperial” mentality. It could also allow Athens to under-promise and deliver in areas unrelated to tourism, shipping and defense.
The State of Israel was founded as a sanctuary for the Jewish people. Simply put, all Jews are considered members of the same extended family, regardless of their country of origin, divergent political affiliations, and religious differences.
The Jewish diaspora, made up of creative, resilient and stateless refugees, has been key to Israel’s success. Hundreds of thousands of Jews fled persecution around the world to build the State of Israel. They understood their numerical disadvantage and knew that all hands were needed on deck. The freedom and prosperity Israelis enjoy today were achieved through the selfless sacrifices made by their courageous ancestors.
Every person counts in Israel. The Jewish state is known worldwide for protecting and saving Diaspora Jews and Israelis from danger abroad. As part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, Israel rescued Mizrahi Jews exiled from Iraq. As part of Operation Thunderbolt, a group of commandos led by Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rescued Israeli hostages in Entebbe, Uganda. As part of Operations Moses, Brothers and Solomon, Mossad agents rescued Ethiopian Jews fleeing famine and genocide. This is the meaning of “extended family” for the tribe of Israel.
Like the Jewish diaspora, persecuted Anatolian and Pontic Greeks also fled or were forcibly expelled from their ancestral homeland in Asia Minor during the Armenian and Greek genocides. Few refugees were welcomed with open arms. Discrimination against the descendants of Mikrasiates persists in Greece more than a century later. Worse still, Athens still does not recognize the genocide perpetrated against the Greeks of Asia Minor by the Ottoman Empire, the Young Turks and the Turkish National Movement.
Many Greeks maintain an “imperial” mentality due to the excessive emphasis placed on the civilizational aspect of Hellenism. This often manifests itself as imagining themselves to be more globally important than they are.
Despite this treatment, the contributions of the Anatolian and Pontic Greeks to modern Greece speak for themselves. Shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis fled Smyrna – now Izmir – at the age of 16. The Nobel Prize-winning poet George Seferis was born in Vourla – now Urla. Greek staples such as Papadopoulos cookies were also founded by entrepreneurs from Anatolia. Additionally, Greece’s integration of more than a million refugees from Asia Minor was instrumental in the country’s modernization, the development of its infrastructure, and the construction of the Greek welfare state. To call their contributions to Greece timeless is an understatement.
While the Jewish state remains a haven for Jews around the world, Greece must do more to open its doors to Greeks in the diaspora. As in Israel, the Greek population is around 10 million. The General Secretariat of Hellenes Abroad estimates that there are at least 5 million diaspora Greeks residing outside Greece and Cyprus. Athens faces many demographic challenges, including brain drain and negative population growth. What can Greece do to attract proud Greeks from the diaspora and fill these gaps?
First, simplify the application process for acquiring citizenship by Greeks in the diaspora. Current requirements are outdated. For example, having to register your parents’ marriage to earn your place in the family tree is simply outdated. What if your parents aren’t or weren’t married? What happens if you are a second generation member of the diaspora and one of your parents died before you had a chance to obtain their Greek citizenship, let alone register their marriage in Greece ? To make matters worse, the only word to describe relations with Greek consulates and embassies abroad is “bureaucratic nightmare”. Fix it.
Second, institute uniform birthright travel for diaspora Greeks. This is how Jews around the world maintain their cultural and emotional ties to the State of Israel. Over the years, Athens has made progress in this direction thanks to programs such as Heritage Greece. However, there remains great room for improvement. Helping Greeks abroad travel to their ancestral homeland, discover their history, reconnect with their roots and develop their sense of identity is essential to building a stronger Greece. Naturally, birthright trips should include exploring heritage sites of historical and cultural significance such as the Parthenon. They should also involve visits to places like the United Nations buffer zone in Cyprus, so that diaspora Greeks from more privileged countries can better understand the nature of Turkish aggression in Greece’s neighborhood.
Third, continue to develop academic partnerships with the rest of the free world. New agreements to expand the American College of Greece are fantastic news. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Athens can and must go further. Thirty million tourists visit Greece every year. More than double the number of people traveling to Spain and France. Nevertheless, Greece falls far short of its counterparts when it comes to attracting foreign students or when it comes to international education. Greece has the necessary elements to change this.
Let’s take my case: I studied abroad in Australia, Chile and France. As a student at two Canadian universities, I did not have the opportunity to participate in a student exchange, much less obtain credits for a full semester in Greece. Unfortunately, none of my alma maters had partnerships with Greek universities. They still don’t do it. Rest assured, I would have taken the opportunity – even without funding. Sadly, I am not the only Greek diaspora to have experienced this. It is imperative that Greece continues to establish links with international universities and establish English programs.
Greece is a beautiful country, rich in thousands of years of history and culture. Athens should prioritize attracting, or even repatriating, members of the Greek diaspora. Its comparative advantages are innumerable. Successful programs like the Greek Digital Nomad Visa demonstrate Greece’s magnetic appeal. The cost of living is affordable compared to many countries where diasporic Greeks reside, including my native Canada. The weather is much better too. There is no shortage of Greeks ready to work, invest and even settle in their ancestral homeland. Make it easy for them. They will come.
Greece and Israel have one more thing in common: they live in complex neighborhoods. In fact, the Middle East is even more dangerous than the Balkans. While Greece has an aggressive neighbor to the east, Israel is surrounded by terrorist groups, failed states and several countries that either do not recognize its legitimacy or actively seek to destroy it. Naturally, military service is an integral part of Greek and Israeli identities.
Despite decades of war and the endless scourge of global anti-Semitism, the Jewish people – a nation without a state for over 2,000 years – transformed a desert into a garden against all odds. It only took a few decades. The Greek people can accomplish the same thing, and much more. It all starts with seeing the Greeks as a tribe, not as a civilizational state whose best days are behind it.
George Monastiriakos is a researcher at the Geneva Center for Security Policy. You can read his published works on monastiriakos.com.