Synopses & Reviews
When the global financial crisis spread to Europe and its weak periphery through the banking sector, few contemplated that the real causes of the crisis did not reside only in the faulty architectures of globalisation and European integration but also in a pronounced power-shift to the 'global East'. The authors connect the 'local' with the 'global', and the 'local' with the 'European'. In this context, Fouskas and Dimoulas scrutinize the financial, geopolitical and historical underpinnings of the current Greek debt crisis that threatens not just the cohesion of the European Union, but the entire security architecture of the Euro-Atlantic world. By identifying the 'debt problem' as being one of the 'birthmarks' of Greece passed by the country's one hegemonic master onto another, they challenge the current half-truths about the contemporary debt crisis in Greece and the Euro-zone.
Review
To come
Review
'The authors have done a great job in terms of the focus of the book. But more importantly their emphasis on the Political Economy dimension of the 'Great Recession' as it has affected Greece in particular adds a great value to the book not always appreciated by the profession.' - Philip Arestis, University of Cambridge, UK
'The book, written from the perspective of long lines through history, opens a new point of view on the global and the European crisis. Intimate knowledge of Greece and its history is combined with a globalist view of the financialized world. It is the tension between the two, which allows many interesting and new insights. Although I am less pessimistic about Greece and even more pessimistic about the future of the Euro-zone than the authors, the book is thought-provoking and original and deserves a broad readership.' - Heiner Flassbeck, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Switzerland
'This is a lucid, creative and insightful exposition of the Greek/Euro-zone crisis. Seen from the innovative theoretical perspective of 'global fault-lines' and the power-shift to Asia, the authors have produced a remarkable and thought-provoking theoretical and historical narrative, which is both a punchy polemic and an impressive gathering of empirical evidence. It is recommended reading for everybody wishing to come to terms with the global power-shift that is unfolding before our eyes.' - Bülent Gökay, Keele University, UK
'This is a fundamental book. It narrates the truth and the drama of the Greek people caused by unprecedented neo-liberal policies of austerity - the real social danger.' - Giulio Sapelli, University of Milan, Italy
Read an article by the authors on OpenDemocracy
"The book provides an excellent overview of historical facts & empirical data pertaining to Greece's debt problem, thus furnishing this highly topical discussion with a well-documented study." - Journal of Common Market Studies
Synopsis
The debt crisis in Greece has sparked lively debates about the origins of the crisis and policy measures to be adopted in order to fix it. The authors offer the first original and comprehensive narrative on Greece.
About the Author
Vassilis K. Fouskas is Professor of International Politics and Economics at the Business School of the University of East London, England. He has published widely in the field of international economics and politics and his works have been translated into more than ten languages. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies.
Constantine Dimoulas is Lecturer in Social Administration and Evaluation of Social Programs at the Department of Social Policy, Panteion University, Athens, Greece. He coordinates the research unit for health policy and social services, which is part of the Institute of Labour of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (INE-GSEE). He has published widely in the field of social policy and industrial relations.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
PART I: FINANCIALIZATION AND EUROPEAN 'INTEGRATION': THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS
2. The Sinews of Capital and the Disintegrative Logics of Euro-Atlanticism
PART II: GREECE'S FAULT-LINES AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF DEBT AND DESTRUCTION
3. The Vassal and the Lords, 1830-1940
4. Passive Revolution and the 'American factor', 1940s-1970s
5. Kampfplatz-4 and the 'European factor', 1974-1989
6. Debt and Destruction: The Making of the Greek and Euro-Atlantic Ruling Classes
7. By Way of a Conclusion: Greece's Debt Crisis Today and Some Normative Reflections