patrick theros, athens views interview

8/22/2019 Patrick Theros, Athens Views Interview

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6 ATHENS VIEWS INTERVIEWPatrick Theros I Greecemust get its house iFormer US ambassador to Qatar explains whyGerman-imposed austerity is wrong and sees Greeceas thepointwhere European andAmericanpolicies collide

By Misyrlena EgkolfopoulouB rn in Michigan to Gree.kimmigrant parents, Ambassador Patrick Theros'wasraised in Washington, DC.After graduating from GeorgetownUniversity's Edmund A. Walsh Schoolof Foreign Service in 1963, he spent36 years serving i1 a vaiety of countriesin the Arab world, including Lebanon,Syria, JOildan and the United ArabEmirates. His last assignment wasUS ambassador to Qatar, from 1995to'l998. Due to his passion for MiddleEastern politics as well as his lovefa" the Arab culture, food and 1arg.Jage,Theros has maintained his relationshipwith the Arab world long after hisretirement. HeIB he shcres his thoughtsabout the future of Greece, the significance of Greek-American relations,and the possibility of Qatar becominga financial ally of Greece.Athens Views: What do you thinkis behind the Arab Spring andhow do you think t s shaping theArabwortd?Patrick Theros: A lot of us who wereexperts'in the area never understoodhow the Arab people could continueto put up with dictatorship. It was amystery. Many came around withthe idea that they just weren't fit formodern life and democracy, that thisis just their fate. But then everythingexploded. What these Arab revolutions have accomplished is the ideathat, for the first time ever, the Arabpeople are not afraid of their gov

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democracy. It was a revolt to geta decent job, a revolt against unemployment and lack of opportunity. Turkey had a limited demo. 1cratlc system, and Egypt hadnone. This is the first time in Turkish history where there have beenlarge demonstrations that have notbeen organised by the govern-ment. It is something new andwhile there are parallels withEgypt, the context is completelydifferent. What has happened toErdogan has less to do with hispolitical philosophy and more withhis growing ego; he had been asuccessful politician who startedto believe he could do no wrong.As for Greece, it is struggling so

So far no investments have come thrfrom the Qatari emirate. Do you think Qis a potential strategic financial allyGreece?Yes, but Greece has not risen to the occasThe problem Greece isn't that

Qataris aren't inveing. The regimeQatar is very symthetic to Greece wants to invest. problem is that nohas presented projects that areable and meet tcriteria. There are ftastic opportunitiesGreece but if tdon't get their intehouse in order, twon't be able to befit from it. If you a working' syStem.. .....:.;1 .. _'

G r e e c e , * ~ d r ; f iments would'&op,US Secretary ofTreasury Jack LereCent visit and Pident Barak Obamand fonner treassecretary Tim Gener's stands shthat Washin'gton

interested in helping Greece get out ofet;i,sis without the austerity measures tthe EU has in mind. How far do you ththe US support can go?They are not doing it out of sympathyGreece; they are doing it because theybeliit's a bad policy. The US believes that if thausterity measures continue, they are goto reignite the crisis in Greece, which inwill cause damage to the US econoGreece is simply the point where Europpolicy and American policy collide.What is the significance of Prime MiniAntonis Samaras' scheduled visit to Waington this month?It was a political necessity for the Greek gernment. What the US can do to help Greis continue the fight over the basics of G


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By Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou

B orn in Michigan to Greekimmigrant parents, Ambas-sador Patrick Theros'wasraised in Washington, DC .After graduating from GeorgetownUniversity's Edmund A.Walsh Schoolof Foreign Service in 1963, he spent36 years seMng in avariety ofcountriesin the Arab world, including Lebanon,Syria, Jordan and the United ArabEmirates. His last assignment wasUS ambassador to Qatar, from 1995to 1998. Due to his passion for MiddleEastern politics as well as his lovefa- the Arab culture, food and language,Theros has maintained his relationShipwith the Arab world long after hisretirement. Here he shales his thoughtsabout the future of Greece, the significance of Greek-American relations,and the possibility of Qatar becominga financial ally of Greece.Athens Views: What do you thinkis behind the Arab Spring andhow do you think it s shaping theArabwor1d?Patrick Theros: A lot of us who wereexperts in the area never understoodhow the Arab people could continueto put up with dictatorship. It was amystery. Many came around withthe idea that they just weren't fit formodern life and democracy, that thisis just their fate. But then everythingexploded. What these Arab revolutions have accomplished is the ideathat, for the first time ever, the Arabpeople are not afraid of their governments. Even though their governments are stronger, even thoughtheir governments still kill them, theynow have the courage to take to thestreets and confront them. Theirgovernments have lost the ability tointimidate their populations. In myopinion, we have years, decadesper:haps, of more revolt, oppressionand slaughter. The Arab world ischanging.What do you think the crisis inEgypt means for Turkey andPrime Min ister Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Do you think Greece canbe mobilised diplomatically?The Egyptian revolt was not fo r

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democracy. It was a revolt to geta decent job, a revolt against un-employment and lack of opportu-nity. Turkey had a limited d e mcratic system , and Egypt 'none. This is the first time in Turkish history where there have beenlarge demonstrations that have notbeen organised by the govern-ment. It is something new andwhile there are parallels withEgypt, the context is completelydifferent. What has happened toErdogan has less to do with hispolitical philosophy and more withhis growing ego; he had been asuccessful politiCian who startedto believe he could do no wrong.As for Greece, it is struggling sohard for economic survival that theGreek government doesn't havethe energy left '9peal with it.

You need a forceful,determined leader that isprepared to take some risks.I think Samaras has thepotential to be that leader,but the test is still out there.

Yes, but Greece has not risen to the occasThe problem Greece Isn't thatQ&taris aren't inving . The regimeQatar is very symthetic to Greece wants to invest. problem is that nohas presented projects that areable and meet tcriteria. There are tastic opportunitieGreece but if tdon 't get their intehouse in order, twon't be able to befit from it. If you a w o r k i n g ~ ~ t eGreece, . l ; r E i : J ~ments w o u l d e - q i ; nUS Secretary ofTreasury Jack Lerecent visit and Pident Barak Obamand former treasecretary Tim Gener's stands s that Washing'tQninterested 1n helping Greece get out ofcrisis without the austerity measuresthe EU has in mind. How far do you t. the US support can go?

They are not doing it out of sympathyGreece; they are doing it because they beit's a bad policy. The US believes that if th

'.austerity measures continue, they are gto reignite the crisis in Greece, which in will cause damage to the US econoGreece is simply the point where Europpolicy and American policy collide.What is the significance of Prime MiniAntonis Samaras' scheduled visit to Wington this month?It was a political necessity for the Greek ernment. What the US can do to help Greis continue the fight over the basics ofmany's economic policies. The most imtant thing that Samaras could accomplisget Obama to be more forceful with the Gmans. The likelihood that Samaras can p

Signing ofagreement fo r the establishmof the Qatar-Greece Business Council


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FRIDAY 2 AUGUST 2013NTERVIEW

get its house in order explains why

and sees GreeceandAmerican

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democracy. It was a revolt to geta decent job, a revolt against unemployment and lack of opportu-nity. Turkey had a limited demo-cratic system, and Egyptnone. This is the first time in Turkish history where there have beenlarge demonstrations that have notbeen organised by the govern-ment. It is something new andwhile there are parallels withEgypt, the context is completelydifferent. What has happened toErdogan has less to do with hispolitical philosophy and more withhis growing ego; he had been asuccessful politiCian who startedto believe he could do no wrong.As for Greece, it is struggling sohard for economic survival that the

So far no investments have come througfrom the Qatari emirate. Do you think Qataris a potential strategic financial ally fo rGreece?Yes, but Greece has not risen to the Occasion.

The problem inGreece isn't that theQataris aren't investing. The regime inQatar is very sympathetic to Greece andwants to invest. Theproblem is that no onehas presented anyprojects that are viable and meet theircriteria. There are fantastic opportunities forGreece but if theydon't get their internalhouse in order, theywon't be able to benefit from it. If you hada w o r k i n g ~ y s t e m inGreece,the .-iqyestmEmts would 'carne.US Secretary of theTreasury Jack Lew'srecent visit and President Barak Obama'sand former treasurysecretary Tim Geith-ner's stands showthat Washington is

interested in helping Greece get out of the crisis without the austerity measures that the EU has in mind. How far do you think the US support can go? They are not doing it out of sympathy for Greece; they are doing it because they believe it's a bad policy. The US believes that i f these austerity measures continue, they are going to reignite the crisis in Greece, which in turn will cause damage to the US economy. Greece is simply the point where European policy and American policy collide. What is the significance of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' scheduled visit to Washington this month? It was a political necessity for the Greek government. What the US can do to help Greece is continue the fight over the basics of Germany's economic policies. The most impor

off is questionable, unless he convincesObama he will start taking more risks and 'mplementing more dramatic changes. Rightnow, all Greek politicians are more concernedabout the effect of the loss of public sectorjobs on elections. Nobody yet has tried tomobilize the private sector in Greece. HSama-ras could make that case to Obama, he couldgive him an incentive to be more forceful wTttlthe Germans. That is the best thing thatObama can do for Greece right now.Greece has failed to mobilise Greek-Ana'icans to support new development in,Greece. Who is to blame - th e deficit ofleadership in Athens or the detachnent ofstrong, resourceful Greeks of the diaspora?It's that the legal and bureaucratic structLremakes investment extremely difficult. U theGreeks could change their bureaucratic struc-ture td make investment worthwhile, there arebillions of dollars that Greeks abroad thatwould be more than happy to invest in Greece.America is full of wealthy Greeks who, if the

. atmosphere for an investment in Greece weregood, would invest tomorrow. There is a verystrong sympathy in the community here.Through the Qatar Business Council youhave been trying to help Greek companiesexpand in the Middle East. What an t someof the challenges you have faced in Qatari-Greek business?Greek companies used to be everywhere inthe Middle East, with products for sale inevery.Souq. Once Greece entered the eurozone, 'all these Greek companies came homebecause there was a lot of money pouring infrom Europe. Now Greek companies are try-ing to go back but have forgotten how tomarket themselves and can't compete.Greece's services and products are veryquality, at competitive prices. Also, Greecehas a competitive advantage in the Arabworld. Much like Greece, business in the Ivabworld is still based very much on personalityand relationship. Greece has a special relationship with the Arab world. We are the onlyEuropeans the ArabS like. We try to help themlearn how to take that relationship and makeit into foreign business. Arabs are our culturalrelatives. Greeks have to learn how to do themodern side of the business while taking advantage of the personal relationships.


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.. ," () (0 ..' ...' 'democracy. It was a revolt to geta decent job, a revolt against unemployment and lack of opportunity. Turkey had a limited dempcratic system, and Egypt hhdnone. This is the first time in Turkish history where there have beenlarge demonstrations that have notbeen organised by the government. It is something new andwhile there are parallels withEgypt, the context is completelydifferent. What has happened toErdogan has less to do with hispolitical philosophy and more withhis growing ego; he had been asuccessful politician who startedto believe he could do no wrong.As for Greece, it is struggling sohard for economic survival that theGreek government doesn't havethe energy left to deal with it.

You need a forceful ,determined leader that isprepared to take some risks.I think Samaras has thepotential to be that leader,but the test is still out there.

The problem inGreece Isn't that theQataris aren 't investing. , The regime inQatar is very sympathetic to Greece andwants to invest. Theproblem is that no onehas presented anyprojects that are viable and meet theircriteria. There are fantastic opportunities forGreece but if theydon't get their internalhouse in order, theywon't be able to benefit from it. If you hada working ~ y s t e m inGreece, tl':le i i;tVestments woulatqthe.US Secretary of theTreasury Jack Lew'srecent visit and President Barak Obama'sand former treasurysecretary Tim Geithner's stands showthat Washington isinterested in helping Greece get out of the

cr;i,sis without the austerity measures thatthe EU has in mind. How fa r do you think

, the US support can go? They are not doing it out of sympathy for Greece; they are dOing it because they believe it's a bad policy. The US believes that if these austerity measures continue, they are going to reignite the crisis in Greece, which in turn will cause damage to the US economy. Greece is simply the point where European policy and American policy collide. What is the significance of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' scheduled visit to Washington this month? It was a political necessity for the Greek government. What the US can do to help Greece is continue the fight over the basics of Ger-many's economic poliCies. The most important thing that Samaras could accomplish is get Obama to be more forceful with the Ger-mans. The likelihood that Samaras can pull it

Signing ofagreement fo r the establishmentof the Qatar-Greece Business Council

private sector ...GII_L. . .. . .ras c:ot* j make that case to 011..........112give him an incentive to be mora ' ~ l J I . ___the Germans. That is the bestObama can do for Greece right now.Greece has failed to mobilise Greek. . . . . .-icans to support ne w inGreece. Who is to bfame - ..... ofleadership in Athens or the datacI1I ofstrong, resourceful Greeks 01 . . cIas-pora?It's that the legal and bureaucraticmakes investment extremely diGreeks could change their bureauctalic*tJc-ture to make investment worthwtE. arebillions of dollars that Greeks abroad thatwould be more than happy to invest Kl Greece.America is full of wealthy Greeks who. !he

-atmosphere for an investment in Greece weregood, would invest tomorrow. There is a Yel'fstrong sympathy in the community here.Through the Qatar Business Council youhave been trying to help Greek compalliesexpand in the Middle East. What are aomeof the challenges you havefaced in Qatari-Greek business?Greek companies used to be everywhere inthe Middle East, with products for sale ineverysouq. Once Greece entered the eurozone,-all these Greek companies came homebecause there was a lot of money pouring infrom Europe. Now Greek companies are trying to go back but have forgotten how tomarket themselves and can't compete.Greece's services and products are VefY highquality, at competitive prices. Also, Greecehas a competitive advantage in the Arabworld. Much like Greece, business in the Arabworld is still based very much on personalityand relationship. Greece has a special relationship with the Arab world. We are the onlyEuropeans the Arabs like. We try to help themlearn how to take that relationship and makeit into foreign business. Arabs are our culturalrelatives. Greeks have to learn how to do themodern side of the business while taking advantage of the personal relationships.What will it take fo r Greece to finally seeprosperity and how long do you think it'sgoing to take fo r Greece to see a change?I think things could turn around in Greecemuch faster because the basic structure ofGreece is not bad. You have an educated andhard-working population. The problem is thisdead weight o(government that is stopping it.Greece is run by people who are not lookingafter the interest of their country. Until youhave politicians that do, nothing will change.What it takes, in my view, is leadership. Youneed a forceful, determined leader that is prepared to take some risks. I think Samaras hasthe potential to be that leader, but the test isstill out there.

patrick theros, athens views interview

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