Hellas’ Imposed Membership to the Economic and Monetary Union

 Hellas’
Imposed Membership

to the Economic and Monetary Union

 

by

Dr.
Ioannis N. Kallianiotis

Economics/Finance
Department

The Arthur J.
Kania School
of Management

University
of Scranton

Scranton, PA 18510-4602

U.S.A.

Tel.
(570) 941-7577

Fax
(570) 941-4825

E-Mail:
jnk353@scranton.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JEL
(Classification):   D6, F15, J64, N01, P52

Key Words:                 Economic Welfare

Economic Integration

Unemployment

                                    Economic
History

                                    Comparative
Studies of Particular Economies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November
2010

Hellas’
Imposed Membership

to the Economic and Monetary Union

 

 

 

ABSTRACT

 

This work explores the political economy of Greece (Hellas)
since the Treaty of Rome (1957) up to her European integration and today with
the imposition of the common currency, the global financial crisis, the
European debt crisis, the enormous austerity forced by the EU and IMF; and discusses
some of the advantages and problems that the current European (and the
prospective Euro-Asian) Union has created to her citizens. The most severe difficulties
are the social chaos, which is increasing every day, due to the overvalued
euro, the enormous debt and deficit, the current planned financial crisis, and
the worst recession since the great depression of 1929-1930; also, the economic
and political corruption, which are underrated by the officials, the European
Constitution, the supported pseudo-leaders by the dark powers, and the tremendous
uncertainty that this artificial and controlled “creature” has generated to its
member-nations and their citizens. Europe has
a unique seven thousand years old history, which comes from ancient Greek
(Hellenic) civilization and is complemented by Christianity. Greece, in her journey, experienced
many difficulties, conflicts, and invasions by barbarians and other neighboring
countries. But at the same time, many good and glorious periods with tremendous
contribution to the global scene are recorded. Even though that the new Greek
nation started the war of independence from Mongolian and allothrisk Turks in
1821, major parts of the country are still under occupation and threats even of
casus belli. Lately, after the political changeover of 1974, the European
integration has destroyed the sovereign nation-state and it is ruling
undemocratically not only Greece,
but an entire continent. EU has lowered the European indigenous cultures to a
uniform sub-culture of waste, dependency, and apostasy. Greece, due to
her history, idiosyncrasy, and values should have not become a member of the
Euro-zone. Of course, it is never late; she can leave the EMU right now.

 

 

I. PROLOGUE

 

            My objective in this paper is to provide an
outline of the political economy of Greece ( JEllav~) during the modern times and up to the creation of the
European Union (EU) and the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Also, a
socio-economic analysis by considering her interdependence with EU, her loss of
public policies, and her absorbed sovereignty is pointed out for instructive
purpose. Europe and “Economic and Monetary
Union” are nowadays two very political words and we will try to see what they
have in common. The answer is that Europe has
been different things at different times, but until 1957, it was preserving the
nation-states, and has caused similar problems all the times. However, EMU
(Euro-zone) is a new political “innovation” going against the member-nations.
The goal of the study is to present and to emphasize the severe changes that
have taken place in this EU country-member after her 1981 integration. Of
course, history and political economy now get less attention among economists
and at Business Schools, than it was once the case and that makes current
economies more vulnerable compared to the past ones because they do not learn
from their mistakes. Human beings are making history and most of the time, do
so unconsciously. Hellenic history took its unique direction (with the “Providence
of God”) because the country occupies an incomparable position and her people
have a particular objective, which is to offer some possibilities to all humans
to become persons (perfect personalities). It is very hard to describe
truthfully, and impossible to analyze the contribution of Greeks and their
nation to European history and at the same time to rationalize her submission
without any resistance to EMU.^[1]

 

            In brief,
proposals for some kind of supranational organization in Europe
have become increasingly frequent since 1945 and have been issued from ever
more influential and suspicious sources. The proposals spring from unidentified
and strange motives that they do not want to make them public because they are afraid
of citizens’ reactions. What they maintain as motives for the public are
political and economic. On the one hand, the political motive, manifested
somewhat tenuously in the Council of Europe, is rooted in the belief that only
through supranational organization can the threat of war between European
powers be permanently eradicated. Some proponents of European political unity
further believe that the compact nation-state of the past is now outmoded; if
the nations of Europe are to resume their role
in world affairs, they must be able to speak with one voice and have at their
command resources and manpower comparable with those of superpowers.^[2]
So far, the U.S.
and other powers do not allow this to happen in European Union.  On the other hand, the economic motive rests
upon the argument that larger markets will promote greater specialization and
increased competition, thus higher productivity and standards of living. But,
countries have different value systems, work ethics, and objective in life, and
they cannot be equalized. Unfortunately, nothing of these has happened. So far
the cost of integration has exceeded the benefits for the Europeans.^[3]
Greek citizens have lost their jobs, due to competition from the other
country-members. Prices have increased because of the common market,
abandonment of drachma, goods are moving to markets with higher prices and to
attract them you have to pay the same high prices.  An overvalued common currency^[4]
has destroyed exports, foreign investments, tourism, and many other activities.
Salaries are completely different among the members and poor nations cannot
afford to acquire these highly priced goods and services. Finally, illegal
immigrants, drug dealers, terrorists, anarchists, international mafia, every
corrupted person, and every kind of criminality move freely from one nation to
the other because borders have been abolished. 
Greece is facing all
these evils of the Union and in a higher
degree relative to the other members because of her extended borders and her
thousands of islands.^[5]

Finally, the two world wars and the communist
war (summoritopovlemo~) of the 20^th century, with their
accompanying horrors, show the weaknesses, the poverty, and the malice of our
controlled leaders, who have accepted some inferior philosophies and heresies^[6]
and try to impose them on peoples and sovereign nations through wars,
integrations, and globalization. All these would fail because above their
actions is a “Divine Providence”, who guides humanity. These pseudo-leaders did
and unfortunately continue to do, much to undermine the security, the safety,
the stability, the faith, the culture, the paideia (language, history,
education, etc.), the hope, and the progress of Greeks^[7]
and the other Europeans. Furthermore, while advances in science, increases in
material wealth and goods, and progresses in technology greatly improved the
material quality of life, they also increased the uncertainties, the
unhappiness, and the threats confronting humanity, and they are becoming worse
day after day. As a consequence of these experiences of the 20^th and
the new 21^st century, people and especially young are completely
disoriented, without traditional values, misinformed, without teachers, and
without true models. Of course, every individual must be optimistic and work
hard to become a true person, independently of what the rest of the world is
doing. The same must hold for a nation; Greece must work hard by using her
recourses, her civilization (her comparative advantage), and her peoples to
reach the highest welfare, according to her value system and independently from
this forced integration of Europe and the austerities imposed by EU and IMF.             

           

 

II. THE
CREATION OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

 

The “Holy Roman Empire’s” suspicious revival
started again in 1957 (including as founding members the region it had in the 8^th
century), which has restricted the independence, the sovereignty, and has
diluted the identity of so many European nations that are not Franks and share
completely different values and beliefs; and above all they do not want to be
part of this “New Empire”, the prototype of the “Global Empire” (the global
slavery of humanity). The grandiose plan (pushed by communists, liberals, and
enemies of Europe’s) is, now, to expend this Christian “European Union” to the
allodox Asians (Turkey and Israel),^[8]
and soon to other continents. Obviously, a non-European plan, imposed on
Europeans.

After World War I and II, European imperialism
and colonialism started declining. Nationalism and patriotism became the new
idea globally. In 1948 Jews with the help of Britain
and the United States
proclaimed the State of Israel and made Chaim Weizmann president and David
Ben-Gurion premier.^[9] The Zionism
movement started in the beginning of 20^th century by a Jew, Theodor
Herzl (1860-1904), in Austria
and was “successful”. Also, the barbarism of Englishmen is old and big towards
all the nations and people, Irishmen (IRA),^[10]
Cypriots (EOKA)^[11]
and others, but they are over protecting^[12]
towards Jews and Turks. Their policies towards EU are pro-American and
anti-European, too. Then, when World War II ended in 1945, the prospects for Western Europe appeared dim. Millions of people had been
killed, and property damage had been immense. Beneath the ruins, however, there
lay the potential for a spectacular economic recovery and a strengthening for
their sovereignty of all European nations. This economic recovery came in 1960s
and 1970s, but with the movement towards European integration, the members’
autarky and national sovereignties have been negatively effaced; thus, the
future for European
States and their citizens
seems uncertain.^[13]   

            Following
World War II, the idea of this suspicious economic integration was promoted in Western Europe. Who were these people and what was their
ultimate objective of this experiment is still unknown.^[14]
The world is waiting to see the conclusion of this union of nations,
peoples, cultures, dogmas, histories, economies, politics, and civilizations.^[15]
The majority of Europeans are very skeptical and anxious for the future of
their continent and of their nations.^[16]
In 1950, Jean Monnet (1888-1979) convinced Premier Robert Schuman (1886-1963)
to support a plan for the integration of the coal and steel industries of France and West Germany. Negotiations on the
Schuman Plan led to the establishment in 1951 of the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC). The ECSC included France,
West Germany, Italy, Belgium,
the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
The success of the ECSC helped advance an even bolder proposal developed by
Monnet. On March 25, 1957, the six members of the ECSC signed the Treaty of
Rome establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), known as the Common
Market. The members of this Common Market committed themselves to eliminate
trade barriers and to promote free movement of capital and labor.

            Then, the
Common Market treaty took effect on January 1, 1958 and on July 1, 1968, all
tariffs between member nations were completely eliminated; several years
earlier than the date originally foreseen. In 1961, Britain
signified its willingness to enter the Common Market if certain conditions
could be met, but in January 1963, president de Gaulle of France in effect vetoed Britain’s membership, an action he
repeated in 1967 and 1969. The accession of Britain,
Ireland, and Denmark
took effect on January 1, 1973. Greece
acceded to the Community on January 1, 1981, without a referendum,^[17]
and Spain and Portugal
on January 1, 1986. On January 1, 1995, the EU-12 became EU-15, with the
accession of Austria, Finland, and Sweden.^[18]
On May 1, 2004 ten new members joined the Union: Poland,
Hungary, the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus,
and Malta.
Lately, on January 1, 2007, Romania
and Bulgaria
became EU members, reaching the implausible number of EU-27. More than half a
dozen nations are waiting for their acceptance to the Union.

            Of course,
what is obvious in EU is the accelerated pace of change, with some
pseudo-subsidies and mostly by borrowing money, scientific and technological
progress, infrastructures, etc., which has affected Greece and its debt, too; but
nothing happened on the social, educational or spiritual side of Europeans. The
increasing influence of the United States
in world affairs, especially after the fall of communism, notably in the two
world wars and the Korean war, is very drastic to Europe.
American methods, fashions, music, language, politics, economics, education,
American slang expressions (catchwords), technology, culture, patterns of
behavior began to be imitated in Europe. The
Americanization of the European society is obvious^[19]
and globalization is doing “very well” except for the people on whom it
has been applied.

It is obvious, in the near future European
generations will face many problems, due to integration and globalization. Are
they going to retain their freedom? Are they going to retain their basic
Hellenic-Christian values? Are they going to retain their seven thousand years
old civilization and identity? Non-Christian, oriental “values” have started
having a significant influence on Western and Greek civilization. Oriental and
pagan religions have influenced religious thought and expression in the
contemporary secular West. The creation of a new non-European and non-Orthodox
civilization and value system, which will affect negatively mostly Greece, is a
matter of a few decades or one generation because of the uncontrolled illegal
migration and cultural imperialism. The current trend towards a global
civilization will destroy all civilizations. These cultural, religious, and
social mixtures will pose a serious threat to the future of the true human
civilization. Revelation and Truth are the biggest enemies of this current
cultural assimilation, human amalgamation, and individuals’ apostasy.
Historical memory requires Greeks to honor their national heroes and martyrs who
have enlightened the past, so the nation can continue its existence in the
future.   

    

 

III. THE DREADFUL ECONOMIC AND
MONETARY UNION

 

The Maastricht Treaty was signed in February
1992, but it, then, had to be ratified by all the member-states. This process
went “well” because the state governments did not hold a referendum for
ratification of the treaty by their citizens.^[20]
Denmark voted
“no” on June 2, 1992 in a referendum and then the following day France
announced that it would hold a referendum. Eleven years later, on September 14,
2003, Sweden
had a referendum and 56.2% said “no” to the EMU.^[21]
Thus, the original plan in this area has gone well off track, but they did not
plan to abandon it. For this monetary union to begin on January 1, 1999, prior
to 1999 (on December 31, 1997), a majority of countries should have met the
five criteria (gross government debt/GDP, budget deficit/GDP, 10-year
government bond yield, inflation rate, and ERM member)^[22]
established by the Maastricht Treaty. Nevertheless, in 1999, according to the
treaty, EMU would commence for those countries, which had converged (however it
looked, they were only very few, actually, Luxembourg
and France),
but eleven of them had been confirmed by the European Commission. The twelfth
country (Greece) forced to
join a little later and the thirteenth one (Slovenia) became an EMU member on January
1, 2007. Cyprus and Malta qualified in 2007 and were
admitted on January 1, 2008. Slovakia
qualified in 2008 and joined on January 1, 2009. At the moment there are 16
member states with over 326 million people suffering in the euro-zone.^[23]

The European Union has
to develop a “social dimension” together with the “social free market” model, which must be regulated,
because of the Maastricht
treaty and its serious unemployment, inflation, and recession problems that it
experiences since the integration. During the 1960-73 periods up until the
first oil price shock, the average annual level of unemployment was around 2.6%
with an economic growth rate of 4.8%.^[24]
Between 1974 and 1985 the unemployment rate rose to 10.8% by 1985, while
economic growth dropped back to 2%. In the period 1989-90, with an increase in
economic growth to 3.2%, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3% in 1990.^[25]
In the meantime, it can hardly be said that there have been dramatic
improvements in the EU unemployment situation because in 2003 it was over 9%
with an economic growth of 0.5% for the Euro Area.^[26]
Today (Fall 2010), the unemployment is 10.10% (7.5% in Germany) and in Greece
must be double digits up to 40% in some regions; and the real GDP growth was negative
(-4.2%) in 2009 (deep recession) all over Europe (except in Germany and France that started a weak
recovery). In 2010, it is forecasted as 1%. The underground economy is thriving
and the unfair distribution of wealth is broadening even in the Orthodox
Greece. The integration has increased unemployment further as Roberts (1996, p.
205) has said. Also, the attempt to reduce the national debt, through
privatization of public enterprises, has contributed to the growth of
unemployment.^[27] The
uncontrolled illegal migration has caused, except a high crime and
unemployment, too^[28]
and it would be worse in the near future, due to the current financial
crisis.

Of course, their
objective is towards a closer union and nothing else, which can be attained
with the abolition of the national constitutions. Then, after many rejections
and oppositions towards a European Constitution, the undemocratic European
Union froze this unpopular “creature” for two years and by making a few minor
changes, they brought it back with the name, “The Reform Treaty of the EU” (“Treaty
of Lisbon”, actually this is the same “European Constitution”),^[29]
which was finalized at an informal Lisbon summit on October 19, 2007 by
the 27 leaders. This new treaty was signed on December 13, 2007 and then was
ratified by the parliaments of the country-members. They were afraid that all
Europeans were going to vote against the new treaty and for this reason they
did not allow citizens to participate in “EU democratic decisions”.^[30]
Greek citizens are in their most dreadful moment in their entire history so
far. Of course, their future will be worse with the trend that the EU is
following daily. The Treaty does not determine the geographical region of the
European Union. Their covered objective is “one nation, one government” and not
the European Union. This Union-Trap will enslave humanity globally very soon.
On June 12, 2008, Ireland
held a referendum on this “Lisbon Treaty”, which was a stripped-down for the
renamed constitution (53% voted against it).^[31]
Greece
did not have any referendum.^[32]
Unfortunately for Europeans, EU does not hold referenda; otherwise there will
be no Union today. Democratic rules do not
hold in this new “creature”, the EU.

            It is
encouraging that Britain, Denmark, and Sweden
did not join the EMU and many British believe that the U.K. will never
join the euro-zone. The U.K. Independence Party wants Britain to withdraw from the EU,
too. Joining EMU, a country might produce lower inflation,^[33]
cheaper credit,^[34]
and a stable exchange rate (actually, an overvalued common currency), but this
union has hurt their economies because they lost their public policies and
their independence; they do not have their own currency, so they could pursue
an effective trade policy, too. By staying out of the EMU, they can achieve all
these objectives with sound domestic policies and can enjoy the sovereignty of
their nations. People have given their lives for seven thousand years for their
independence and freedom and now they surrender them without any reaction.^[35]
Something must be wrong with our generation; it must be completely degenerated.
A big economic risk in joining EMU lies in vulnerability to Europe-wide
policies that are not appropriate for an individual country’s economic
conditions. Each country has its own needs, its own social structure, and its
own business cycle. The common policies and common currency have a
destabilizing effect. EU was pressing Greece to impose property tax of 9%
on the first home of her citizens. Greece had no property taxes, but
now, due to the enormous deficit, it imposed a tax on Greeks’ properties.^[36]
It seems that capitalism is gradually imitating communism; we are going to end
up without property with all these duties, compulsory insurance, and taxes on
ownership of homes and on other physical assets (dwellings).^[37]

            Lastly, the conclusion is that European citizens
and the leaders of the country-members of the EMU do not rule their own
countries anymore. With its regulations, EMU unilaterally revoked the
sovereignty of states that “made” the mistake to join the Euro-zone. This is
the econo-monetary “culture” that independent domestic economic and monetary
policy must be forcefully rejected and the country must pay high fines. Its
directives have become economic “doctrines” and the leading countries have
their “visions” for the future of these poor Europeans, who became members,
even without their will. This “vision” is the “vision” of destroying the
sovereign nations of Europe. For this reason,
there is no support from European citizens towards this “vision of integration”
and they see that their leaders are liars and puppets. Countries cannot follow
EU’s orders! Historic Greece
is the number one victim of this nightmarish “vision”.

 

 

IV. THE LATEST PROBLEMS FROM THE
LOST PUBLIC POLICY

AND SOVEREIGNTY

           

            Today, the
27-nation EU, with more than 500 million people, is the world’s largest
economic area, but it is insignificant politically and noncompetitive in trade.
Greece produces food and beverage processing, tourism, media, and financial
services; agricultural products include wheat, barley, oilseeds, olives, olive
oil, sugar beets, wine, grapes, dairy products, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and
poultry,^[38] but
competition from abroad (mostly Asia and Africa) has reduced producers’
(wholesale) prices below cost and farmers’ income is declining and their
products are unsold in warehouses. Goods exports include dairy products, and
fruits and vegetables. Imported goods include machinery, vehicles, aircraft,
plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, and food. Leading EU trading
partners are the U.S., China, Japan,
and Switzerland.^[39]
As it is mentioned below, with its free trade with China and its lease for 35
years of the seaport of Piraeus,^[40]
Greece faces the most unfair competition of all times, even the entire EU
economy is in serious problems; it is gravely risking its future prosperity and
its citizens’ welfare. On November 8, 2006 the Commission approved the Strategy
Paper and the candidate countries’ (Croatia,
Skopje,^[41]
Turkey) and potential
candidate countries’ (Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo) progress
reports on their road towards the EU.^[42]
Of course, “the number of other nations now approaching or knocking at the
entry door of the Community was at the very least evidence of the material
advantages outsiders could see in membership.”^[43]

All the recent trends in
EU (increase in taxes, raise of the value-added tax, weakening the power of labor
unions, reducing subsidies, developing new sources of energy, shifting some of
the burden of health insurance from employers to households, increasing the
number of years for work, etc.) and many others that are coming are against the
poor European citizens. It seems that all parties in EU became controlled
neo-liberals (market oriented and acting against the social interest of their
countries) and very corrupted.^[44]
The German and other country-members’ budget deficits are above the Euro-zone
limit, but for big countries the pressure from the chairman of the Euro-zone
finance ministers (Jean-Claude Juncker) is small. The opposite happens to small
countries like Greece;
they suffer from the ECOFIN pressure and they have to take inhumane austerity measures.

Unfortunately, Chinese have invaded and will occupy
Greece!
Greece
is selling everything to foreigners and soon will be in major socio-economic
crisis.^[45]
The EU cut by 50% the subsidies to tobacco
growers (farmers) and gradually, it will eliminate all subsidies.^[46]
This had a tremendous negative effect on the Greek economy because tobacco was
the main agricultural product in many poor regions of the country. The EU
policy is destroying the agricultural and manufacturing sectors;^[47]
Europe is becoming a service economy and for
this reason the late financial crisis has a drastic effect on all
country-members (PIIGGS).^[48]
The OECD is predicted a very high unemployment in Greece
(it seems like 15.5% at the moment with regions of 40% unemployment rate).^[49]
Of course, one major fiscal problem of the country is the tax evasion by the
wealthy people and professionals.^[50]
Privatization,^[51] outsourcing,
the moving of firms in countries with lower cost of production, and the illegal
migration are some causes of high unemployment in the country. Many people are
selling their cars in a flea market in Schisto, outside of Athens at half a price, just to make a little
cash because they cannot afford to maintain them, due to the gas prices and the
financial crisis. Imported crime (mostly from Albania and other Muslims),^[52]
anarchism, and terrorism is another serious issue for the Greek society.

Lastly, the revenue of small businesses declined
in EU by 40% in 2004 and became worse in 2008-2010. Thousands of small
businesses in Greece went
bankrupt during the last five years and the reason is the “invasion” of Chinese
in Europe and the latest financial crisis.
Companies also move to other countries to lower labor costs. EU and Greece
cannot compete with these countries and her hundreds of years old textile
industry disappears, creating thousands of unemployed workers.^[53]
Of course, the worst thing that has happened to EU country-members is the loss
of their sovereignty, their independence; they are enslaved without providing any
resistance, which is uncommon in human and Greek history for seven thousands
years. What happens to these European citizens? Are they sound in their
minds?  This controlled EU asked Greece
to pay as penalty 1.5 billion euros because she was subsidizing Olympic
Airlines and it asserted that this practice had created unfair competition to
the other EU airlines.^[54]
Then, the arrogant EU tells to nations what will be their domestic public
policy, social welfare, safety, security, legislation, employment conditions,
retirement, education, tradition, and value system. Greeks and EU citizens have
to take some measures for this union before it will be too late for them and
for their future generations. Politicians in country-members cannot do anything
because they have been enslaved from the glory of the power or they are just
betrayers of their own citizens.^[55]
  

 

V. CHRISTENDOM’S EXPANSION TO
NON-EUROPEANS

AND ITS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON HELLAS

 

Unfortunately, Greece’s foreign policy has
become a policy of retreat and servility; also EU does not have a European
foreign policy and a security policy; it is divided into small powerless
member-states and is manipulated; presently by the U.S. and later will be by
some other power and it has the illusion that it is free. A main example can be
the case of Yugoslavia, which has created serious other problems; like, Kosovo,
“Great Albania”, Muslim countries in Balkans (sic), and the famous “Macedonian
Question”, with the arrogant Slavs of the South region of former Yugoslavia,
Vardarska, which is having expansive prospects towards Greece, the true
Macedonia.^[56] This
artificial nation is constituted by 800,000 Albanians, 500,000 Bulgarians,
100,000 Serbs, 100,000 Gypsies, 250,000 Greeks, and 300,000 Muslims of various
nationalities. How dare this mixture of people to call themselves as
“Macedonians”?^[57] The most
amazing was the alliance of Skopje with the
enemies of Greece.
Delegation from Skopje (Vardarska) went to North
Cyprus (pseudo-state
of Turks) to celebrate
with these conquerors of the Greek Cyprus. Thus, supporters of the enemies of Greece are her
north “friends”, the pseudo-“Macedonians”. This is a Sacrilegious or Unholy
Alliance (ajnivero~
summaciva) among the enemies of the
Hellenic Orthodox civilization and its unique true values. Of
course, there will be no future of this fabrication! “Europe was felt, too, to have failed in its handling of
the Yugoslav question, which it saw virtually taken out of its hands by
American intervention at the end of 1995, and the deployment of NATO’s forces
as peace-keepers in a way unanticipated by its founders. There were still then,
therefore, major obscurities over the future of European integration.”^[58]
Since, for more than half a century, the United States has been pursuing a
grand imperial strategy with the aim of staking out the globe. The controlled U.S.
leaders have shown themselves willing to follow the dream of dominance no
matter how high the risks. Their politics are of global control (from
unilateralism to the dismantling of international agreement to state terrorism)
cohere in a drive for hegemony that ultimately threatens our existence.^[59]

Further, European
Union has been forced by the U.S.
and other “powers” to invite a Muslim and Asian nation, Turkey, and to
join a Christian union with completely different social and economic structure,
faith, culture, and identity. Europeans are all against this admission. From a
few polls we can see that in France
67% of the people said “no” (fears fueled by France’s
problems integrating its six million Muslims; they were also fearing that the Turkey
issue would lead to defeat of EU constitution). In Germany
62% responded “no” (funding Turkey’s
infrastructure would cost the EU too much; advocate a more limited partnership
to keep Turkey
tied to EU). In Austria the
nays were 62%, too (Muslim Turkey is not compatible with largely Christian
bloc, adding Turkey
would make EU cumbersome).^[60]
Greek political parties, due to pressure and ideology are in favor of Turkey’s
accession to the EU. Chancellor Merkel visited Turkey
on October 6, 2006 and asked the country to abide by the Protocol of Ankara (Turkey had to open its ports for Cyprus)
and the Turkish prime minister was implacable.^[61]
But, reality is very simple and it could reasonably be asked whether Turkey
is a European country. The answer is “no”. Of course, Turkey is not a Christian nation and it is not
even a democracy according to the western standards and violates daily the
Greek borders in the Aegean Sea. In Greece, 85% of the people were against Turkey’s
acceptance to the EU.^[62]
Britain strongly favor Turkey’s entry because it has a major interest on Cyprus
for its bases and Turkey’s occupation of the island satisfies this interest and
the sales of the occupied land to Britons, even to members of the British
Parliament.^[63]
Also, Turkey’s
accession would be a radical departure from the EU founding fathers’ vision of
a geographically unified Christian Europe. Turkey is an Asian anti-Christian
country and not a European one. The small area that it has in Europe belongs to
Greece
and it is still under Turkish occupation. Turkey
can become the “wooden horse” of Muslim terrorists in Europe.^[64]
A German well-known historian, Hans-Ulrich Wehler, sounded another alarm
for Europe: “Would they ever assimilate?”^[65]

            Thus, with the fall of communism and the destruction
of Yugoslavia (from one
nation, they divided it into seven: Slovenia,
Croatia,^[66]
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Skopje, Kosovo,^[67]
Montenegro, and Serbia); the dark powers have created three
Muslim nations (actually, Turkish-Albanians) in Europe
and have caused thousands of problems.^[68]
Kosovo has been lost for Serbia with all these Albanians “occupiers” and its
independence; Skopje is mostly controlled by Albanians and nationalist Slavs,
who’s scope is to go against Greece by counterfeiting history and using Greek
symbols; Albania with the support of the west, of Turkey, and of the other
Muslim nations has become the audacious 
“superpower” in the region. On May 17, 1914, the Corfu Protocol was
signed and was giving full administrative autonomy to North
Epirus, but even today after 95 years nothing has happened and
Greeks, there, are forced to leave or to abandon their identity. This nation,
together with the other “creatures” of the dark powers in Balkans, want to
become members in the EU and U.S. supports them, by making them, first, members
of NATO. Stranger things are going on in a stranger union and Europeans will
experience many serious problems in the near future. Also, Carla del
Ponte, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Yugoslavia,
admitted that the death of Milosevic was a serious blow to the moral state of
the ICTY. A reporter from The Guardian revealed that in
1999, 300 Serbs were kidnapped from their homes in Pristina (Kosovo) by UCK
(Kosovar-Albanian guerillas) and were brought to Albania, where they took out their
organs and sold them for transplants. Carla del Ponte has written about this
inhumane crime (genocide and slaughter of Serbs and trade of organs) in her
book, too. This is the justice of the unjust west!^[69]
But, all these pseudo-powers must know that above their injustice is God’s
Justice that they cannot avoid.        

As it was mentioned above, the west also created another artificial
nation “Skopje”, between Greece and Serbia. What is Skopje’s purpose and its role in the future
of the region? To this nation, they have the audacity to give the name
“Democracy of Macedonia”. They have no right to confiscate Greek names and
symbols, and counterfeit the History.^[70]
It is immoral, unethical, and anti-scientific for the west, who claim experts
in all sciences (have deify science), to counterfeit the true history.
Societies cannot be founded on lies. The absolute knowledge is only the
absolute truth. The truth must be above the current corruption, distortion, and
apostasy. The ex-President of the U.S. (George Bush) recognized this artificial
nation the same night that he won for the second term the election, with
Greek-Americans’ votes, too (November 2004), as “Macedonia”. Greece has reacted to this injustice from her
best ally and she vetoed Skopje’s
entrance to NATO and EU. Nicholas Burns, the ex-U.S. ambassador in Greece and undersecretary of foreign affairs,
had the great insolence to say that “it would be shame for Greece to provide a veto for Macedonia”.^[71]
These declarations by Mr. Burns are unacceptable and Greek leaders have to
stand up and defend their country’s and citizens’ rights and their seven
thousand-year old true history. The rest absurdities from wherever they come
have no value.

            In 2008, a large international
conference took place in Cologne, Germany, against the Mussulmanization
(Islamization) of Europe. The local Muslim
community wanted to build a huge mosque in the center of the city and people
and politicians from allover EU reacted against this request. Europe is
receiving millions of Muslims annually from Asia (Greece was just liberated
from Muslim Turks in 1821) and Africa and its
Christian faith and culture is diluted. The president of the Freedom Party of
Austria (FPO) Heinz-Christian Strache made a declaration, which is very
important for Christian Europe and said to Muslim visitors, if they do not
accept the laws and the rules of Europe, they
are undesirable. About 150 European politicians from EU were at this summit and
more than 1,500 delegates were participated, over 100 TV channels, radio
stations, and Newspapers’ reporters were covering the event.^[72]
Also, Europeans showed their discontent to this political and monetary union by
avoiding to vote during European elections in 2009. The turnout was only
42.94%. Greeks reacted the same way, against these elections, due to
EU’s interventions and its negative effects on Greece, especially, now, with the
debt crisis.

 

 

VI. EPILOGUE

 

A small summary of the recent history and the political economy of
the oldest nation-member of the EMU, the “chosen by God’s Providence” nation, the historic and Orthodox
Greece, is given, here. In this European integration
and in the world economy the interdependence is highly asymmetric and unfair,
with substantial negative processes that work mainly to the detriment of most
of the countries, especially the small and peculiar ones. The autarkic
societies in the past had been led almost to success (at least in full
employment, happiness, homogeneity, independence, safety, security, and
preservation of the indigenous cultures), but the current economic system with
the competitive advantage and the loss of manufacturing, reduction in
agriculture, and enormous debts is against self-sufficiency (autarky) and insensible
to small businesses. It encourages interdependence (unilateral dependency),
forces (imposes) free but unfair trade (based on competitive advantage,
exploitation of labor, and dumping), sale-offs of state-own enterprises, and
augments uncertainty for the future of this falling world. The first results
were shown during the 2007-2008 financial crises, the deep recessions of 2009-2010,
and the enormous social cost of unemployment and loss of wealth. There is no
need for someone to be an economist to understand these basic economic rules or
a historian to avoid the same mistakes of the past or a philosopher to conceive
these social problems or a prophet to predict the future of our world, if we
allow the current trend to continue.

            The historic, economic, and social indicators reveal that Greece
from a moral, ethical, just, independent, and self-sufficient society, after
her European integration is becoming less and less competitive and more and
more contaminated from all these foreign influences; and EU is becoming less
friendly with its members (especially the small ones) and the rest of the
world.^[73]
European Union (the forced integration of 27 nations, without referenda) will
prove that it is the worst “innovation” in human history. It is a mixture of
twenty seven nations without domestic public policies, without
self-determination, without sovereignty, and of course, without any future.^[74]
All these strange evolutions have increase the global uncertainty, have caused
unemployment and recessions in EU^[75]
and in Greece; have reduced competitiveness, and have augment anxiety and
health problems (mental and physical) to citizens. The free-market system has
failed and needs more government regulation and better corporate governance. Governments
had to bailout a corrupted financial system, especially when the budget deficits
and the national debts are astronomical. But, they had no other option, except
to “rob responsible [citizens] and pay the robbers of the financial market”.^[76]
Then, what are the social benefits of our socio-economic system? Why we need
these global changes, “innovations”, and “evolutions”, which are against
humanity? What are the social benefits of the European Union and the EMU?

            In summary, the European economies
that copy U.S.,
had the last thirty years, two major problems; overconsumption (underproduction
and waste of resources) and lack of savings (dis-saving and borrowing or
spendthrift). These trends caused the current account deficits, the tremendous
public and private debts, the high oil prices, which increased the risk and
affected the financial markets, the interest rates, the inflation, and the
growth (employment). We must learn that we cannot live beyond our means
indefinitely, as Greeks never did it before, but not anymore. Actually, there
is a vicious cycle in the economy and has been caused by the corrupted
politicians. Without an investment in sustainable development, EU will lose the
competitiveness race. Greece
does not need any austerity measures, but she needs reduction in taxes, increases
in wages and salaries, and more investment for the country to grow. Of course,
the people who have stolen any money from the government must go to jail and
their properties must be confiscated. The Chinese “invasion” is a serious
threat for Europe. The global uncertainty, the
illegal migration,^[77]
and the other domestic problems, due to integration and globalization are going
to change our economic system (many economic laws do not hold anymore) to “integr-onomics”
or “glob-onomics” and “shock-onomics”. The only prediction that we can do for
the future, after the current financial crisis, the deep recession, and the
unbearable unemployment problems, due to illegal immigration (wooden horse
inside the country), is that this new socio-economic system will be the last in
Greece’s thousand years old moral socio-economic history, except if she will
decide to go back to a value oriented system, which was her tradition. These
corrupted people in financial markets, in politics, in education, in media, and
everywhere need some knowledge in value-oriented Greek-Orthodox welfare
economics, business ethics, and way of life.  

            Lastly, we (especially Greeks) must be aware that we are
undergoing changes in our financial, economic, geopolitical, cultural,
political, spiritual, and risk contexts and we must be sensitive and act with
attention to these changes. Russia
is not an enemy of the west, west is actually an enemy for Russia and the
rest of the world. Atheist and Muslim Asia may be proven to be a future “enemy”
for the entire west, the EU and the US. We cannot be opportunists and
we cannot be danger-speakers, but realists, altruists, humanists, and truthful.
“From the start, the construction of Europe was an extravagant political idea
designed to imprison the nations of Europe
into an ‘ever closer’ union of states.”^[78]
The best will be to reassess the need to move forward with the union or
to hold back. Holding back might preserve whatever remains of each state’s
sovereignty and culture. We do not need any type of integrations or common
currency and of course we do not want to have a supra-nationality, as a
minority of people (and they are non-Europeans) believes, but it has louder
voice, powerful control, and global influence than the majority. In recent
years, citizens of Greece, Europe,
and of the U.S.
have shown their disappointment in and apprehensions for whom to vote.^[79]
They try to elect the least evil in their questionable and immoral “democracies”.
The elected representatives are unable to act in favor of their countries’
interest. Their corruptive practices have become a national way of life. In EU
there are different Europeanized domestic parties that all have the same
beliefs and objectives, to ignore their countries;^[80]
and they have created a class of citizens through favoritism and job offering
to them that these voters support and fight for these parties. Territorial
changes and political upheavals, as well as a public sense of lost identity and
a public loss of faith in the government and all their leaders have become
citizens’ every day problems. Euro-communism is doing relatively better in EU (and
in Greece is terrorizing
businesses and universities) than in Russia, now. All these can have a
profound negative effect on individual country-members and on the current interdependence
between the EU and its members. But, the current problem is to recover from the
financial crisis and its recession, and to send illegal immigrants back to
their countries of origin, which seems as a very long process. Of course, Greeks have a big
obligation towards their history and ancestors, who have created their
civilization, the Hellenic-Orthodox one, which is unique on earth for those who
have cultivated their intellect and are able to do objective comparisons. 

 

 

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