This is not your father’s America

Endy Zemenides, Executive Director

WASHINGTON, DC — The first US-Greece Strategic Dialogue this month highlighted the steadily improving bilateral relations between Washington, DC, and Athens. There have been so many high-level visits and so much diplomatic, commercial and military activity between the two countries that the constant refrain of “this is the best point in the relationship since the Truman administration” has become believable. Is the comparison to that previous high point fair?

On at least two fronts, the comparison to the Truman years is inappropriate. In 2002, the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs published “Documentary History of Greece [1943–1951].” The subtitle of the book — “Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan” — warrants special notice. There is certainly nothing like the latter on the table when it comes to US-Greece relations, and to expect there to be a new Marshall Plan would require one to be particularly unrealistic…

The piece was originally published on Ekathimerini’s website. Read the full piece here.