Εφυγε από τη ζωή, σε ηλικία 76 ετών
«Οι κυβερνήσεις είναι τοποτηρητές των μεγάλων συμφερόντων.. Έχουν μετατρέψει τις κοινωνίες σε δουλαπάροικους... Η Ελλάδα έπρεπε να είχε κηρύξει χρεοκοπία πριν έναν χρόνο.. Είναι άμεση η ανάγκη να επανακτήσουμε την εθνική μας νομισματική ανεξαρτησία...», δήλωνε πριν ενάμιση μήνα στην εκπομπή «Ανιχνεύσεις», ο Νικόλαος Σταύρου Ο Ελληνοαμερικανός καθηγητής πολιτικών επιστημών στο Πανεπιστήμιο Χάουαρντ της Ουάσιγκτον, Νικόλαος Σταύρου, έφυγε από τη ζωή, σε ηλικία 76 ετών.
Ο γνωστός ακαδημαϊκός, ο οποίος ήταν μια από τις λίγες «μαχητικές φωνές» του Ελληνισμού στον αμερικανικό πανεπιστημιακό χώρο, απεβίωσε μετά από καρδιακό πρόβλημα, σε νοσοκομείο της πολιτείας Μέριλαντ των ΗΠΑ.
Ο αποθανών είχε γεννηθεί στη Γριάσδανη της Βορείου Ηπείρου και έγραψε βιβλία και μελέτες για σειρά θεμάτων που αφορούν τη χώρα μας, αλλά κυρίως αρκετά άρθρα σε αμερικανικά ΜΜΕ για τα «δικαιώματα των Ελλήνων της Βορείου Ηπείρου, που καταπατήθηκαν βάναυσα από τις αλβανικές αρχές», όπως υπογράμμιζε χαρακτηριστικά.
Συγκινητική θεωρήθηκε η πολύχρονη προσπάθειά του να βρει τα οστά του αδελφού του Γρηγόρη στην Αλβανία και να τα ενταφιάσει στον τάφο του πατέρα τους. Ο αδελφός του είχε καταδικαστεί σε θάνατο και εκτελέστηκε από το καθεστώς του Χότζα στις 3 Σεπτεμβρίου 1953. Η Ελληνική Πολιτεία τον τίμησε μετά θάνατο το 1991.
Ο καθηγητής Σταύρου είχε ιδρύσει και διεύθυνε το περιοδικό «Mediterranean Quarterly», το οποίο θεωρείτο ένα από τα πιο αξιόλογα έντυπα πολιτικού περιεχομένου στην αμερικανική πρωτεύουσα, μέσω του οποίου αναδεικνύονταν και προβάλλονταν θέματα που αφορούσαν την Ελλάδα, την Κύπρο και την ευρύτερη περιοχή.
Ας θυμηθούμε τι δήλωνε μόλις πριν ενάμιση μήνα, στην εκπομπή της ΕΤ3 "Ανιχνεύσεις".
"Η κατάσταση στην Ελλάδα έχει διεθνείς επιπλοκές και δυστυχώς οι κυβερνήσεις της έχουν μετατραπεί σε προσωρινούς τοποτηρητές των μεγάλων συμφερόντων. Η Ελλάδα εκλήθη την περασμένη εβδομάδα να αναστείλει γιά έναν χρόνο την δημοκρατία της ώστε να μην επιρρεάσει τις εκλογές των ΗΠΑ και του Σαρκοζί στη Γαλλία...
...Έχουμε την περίπτωση μετατροπής όλων των οικονομικών συνισταμένων σε chips για την ρουλέτα που λέγεται χρηματαγορά. Έχουν μετατρέψει τους πάντες και τα πάντα σε καταναλωτές και δανειζομένους, έχουν μετατρέψει τις κοινωνίες αντι κοινωνίες των εθνών σε κοινωνίες δουλοπαροίκων εποχής της τεχνολογίας...
Η Ελλάδα είναι το πρώτο εργαλείο που χρησιμοποιούν για την διάσπαση του ευρώ, και αυτο ξεκάθαρα και τι είναι πολύ άσχημο για την Ελλάδα, η Ελλάδα έχει άμεση ανάγκη να επανακτήσει την νομισματική της εθνική κυριαρχία. Εφόσον δεν το κάνει αυτό, η Ελλάδα θα είναι συνεχώς υπο την επίβλεψη της τρόϊκας ή κάτι παρόμοιο στο μέλλον.
Δεν νομίζω οτι μπορούμε να γίνεται δημοσιονομική πολιτική σε ένα μέρος και κοινωνική πολιτική να γίνεται σε άλλο μέρος και αυτά τα δύο να συναντιούνται κάπου. Πρέπει να θυμόμαστε οτι απο τις αρχές του 18ου αιώνα και μετά έχουμε ριζικές μεταλλαγές έχοντας δημιουργήσει στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες και στην Ευρώπη μία τάξη συστηματικών κλεπτών του δημοσίου πλούτου και μετατράψενε τους πολίτες σε φορολογουμένους μετατρέποντας τον εαυτό τους σε πανίσχυρους χρηματιστές οι οποίοι έχουν μετατρέψει τις κυβερνήσεις σε απλούς αστυνομικούς για να προστατεύουν τον πλούτο τους...
...Οι κοινωνίες βρίσκονται υπο συνεχή απειλή μετατροπής των σε ένα αυτοκρατορικό σύστημα το οποίο διευθύνεται από τραπεζικούς παράγοντες και αστυνομεύεται από τα έθνη κράτη...
... Η Ελλάδα βρίσκεται σε κρίση η οποία θα γίνει πιο μεγάλη σε όλα τα επίπεδα, εφόσον παραμένει με την ελπίδα ότι θα την σώσουν οι Ευρωπαίοι και οι άλλοι μεγάλοι παράγοντες. Η Ελλάδα -κατά την γνώμη μου- έπρεπε να κηρύξει χρεοκοπία πριν ένα χρόνο, αυτό άλλωστε το έχω γράψει και το έχω πει επανελλειμένως.
Η Ελλάδα δεν χρωστάει ούτε πεντάρα σε έθνη- κράτη, στην Γαλλία ή στην Γερμανία, χρωστάει σε τραπεζίτες και οι τραπεζίτες επενδύσαν τα χρήματα στην Ελλάδα, σε ομόλογα και έπρεπε να αναλαβουν οι ίδιοι το ρίσκο που αναλάμβάνει ο καθένας όταν παίζει στο χρηματηστήριο της Νέας Υόρκης.
Δεν τους χρωστάμε τίποτα. Είχαμε την διαφορά μεταξύ εισοδήματος και χρέους 260 δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ, τώρα είναι 285... Εβάλαμε και δεχτήκαμε, τρείς εκτιμητές της αξιοπιστίας κρατών και πολιτών, Moodys, Standard & Poors και Fitch. Αυτοί οι τρείς οίκοι είναι δημιουργήματα των τραπεζών. Τι ακριβώς θα γινόταν παρα δείγματος χάριν, αν η Moody's δεν υποβίβαζε την αξιοπιστία της Ελλάδος ή την αξιοπιστία των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών, και ποιοί τις ελέγχουν αυτές;
Η Moodys παραδειγματός χάρη ελέγχεται απο έναν δισεκατομμυριούχο αμερικάνο, τον Waren Buffet. Δηλαδή, οι τράπεζες εκτιμούν τα κράτη και τους πολίτες για να τους δανείσουν χρήματα, χωρίς να έχουν καμία υποχρέωση οι ίδιοι να λάβουν τα μέτρα τους ή να κερδίσουν ή να χάσουν σύμφωνα με τους νόμους και τους κανόνες που αυτοί προωθούν στην ανοικτή αγορά.
Δεν έχουμε όμως ανοικτή αγορά, έχουμε "σοσιαλισμό" των ανωτέρων και ανωτάτων οικονομικών στρωμάτων. Εκείνοι παίρνουν τα κέρδη και οι φορολογούμενοι παίρνουν (βλ. δίνουν) τους φόρους. Δηλαδή πηγαίνουμε προς μία εξέλιξη όπου μετατρέπονται οι πάντες σε καταναλωτές επι πιστώσει και σε δουλαπάροικους εποχής υψηλής τεχνολογίας...
...Για αυτό λεώ ακριβώς ότι είναι ανάγκη για την Ελλάδα να επανακτήσει την εθνική της κυριαρχία, διαφορετικά θα μιλάμε για καταστροφές. Βρίσκομαστε σε μία κρίση χειρότερη απο ότι βρισκόμασταν στον πόλεμο 1940-1945. Η κατάσταση δεν μπορεί να διαιωνισθεί, δεν μπορεί η κυβέρνηση της Ελλάδος να μετατραπεί σε αστυνόμο των τραπεζών της Ευρώπης και των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών...
NIKOLAOS A. STAVROU
On December 29, 2011, Dr. Nikolaos Stavrou a graduate professor (Emeritus) of International Affairs and Political Theory at Howard University and founder and editor of Mediterranean Quarterly, departed this life.
Dr. Stavrou is survived by his beloved wife, Katarina; brothers, Paul, Elias and their families; sisters, Stamato, Efthalia, and their families; Thomas, Irini and their families; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Viewing on January 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Gawler's Funeral Home, 5130 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Washington, DC. Funeral service January 2 at 9:30 a.m. at St. George Church, 7701 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD. Interment will follow the service at Parklawn Cemetery.
Published in The Washington Post from December 30 to December 31, 2011
his Balkan expert is with Balkan roots. He was born in village of Griazdani, in the part of Epirus that was assigned to Albania. Greek people, like Stavrou family, lived in Epirus for many millenia. During WWII the Greeks were targeted for extermination by Albanian Nazis known as Balli Kombætar, or Ballists. Stavrou family barely survived. The Albanian Nazis, hated Greeks for their devotion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Most Albanians converted to Islam during centuries long Ottoman rule of the Balkans. In 1952 Dr. Stavrou's family escaped from Albania to Greece and later moved to the United States.
Nikolaos A. Stavrou is currently professor of international affairs at Howard University, Washington, DC. Over decades he wrote many studies concerning his native Balkans. Yugoslav politics was one of professor Stavrou's special interests. His publications include "Edvard Kardelj and the Historical Roots of Non-Alignment." Mr. Kardelj was Tito's right hand man.
Dr. Stavrou is in touch with some very influential people of Washington, DC. One of his recent books "Mediterranean Security at the Crossroads: A Reader," first published in 1997, is co-authored by ex-U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.
Dr. Stavrou is also an editor of Mediterranean Quarterly a sholarly journal that offers insightful essays from the world's top policy makers, scholars, journalist, and international experts. It is a forum for provocative commentary and a source of deep analysis delivering global issues with a Mediterranean slant.
hen it came to civil wars in Yugoslavia and American increased involvement, professor Stavrou, as a Balkan expert, was eager to offer his views. Despite his influence in the high circles, very few of his articles were published in the Western press outside of the above mentioned Mediterranean Quarterly. We collected some of those rare published Professor Stavrou's articles and presented them here, on this web site:
It started out last year as a harmless sounding project: a book by American and Greek authors about the administration of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou of Greece, edited and published by Greek-Americans. But now, two months before publication, the project has created a stir involving the State Department, the Greek Embassy and others associated with it.
The book, ''Greece Under Socialism: A NATO Ally Adrift,'' is scheduled for publication Aug. 30 by Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, of New Rochelle, N.Y. It was edited by Nikolaos A. Stavrou, a professor of international affairs and political science at Howard University.
Professor Stavrou and Mr. Caratzas accuse officials of the Papandreou administration of trying to censor a chapter in the book, of trying to intimidate them for refusing to withdraw the chapter and, in one case, of using a racial epithet. Friends in the Greek Government, Mr. Caratzas said, warned both him and Professor Stavrou that warrants would be issued for their arrest if either of them visited Greece.
While acknowledging that he had asked to have the controversial chapter withdrawn, George Papoulias, the Greek Ambassador to the United States, has called the broader accusations ''nonsense.'' Four Greek Contributors
Among the 14 contributors to the book are four Greeks. Matthew Nimetz, a former Under Secretary of State, wrote the introduction, and Robert Pranger, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for international security, contributed a chapter. But it is the essay of Yannis Kapsis, Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Papandreou government, that stirred the controversy.
In response to an invitation from Professor Stavrou, Mr. Kapsis submitted an article last October on the philosophy and goals of Greek foreign policy. At that time the book's working title was ''PASOK in Power: A Critical Analysis of Its Domestic and Foreign Policies.'' PASOK is the acronym for Mr. Papandreou's governing party, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement.
While editing the manuscript, however, Professor Stavrou changed the title of the book to ''Greece Under Socialism: The Rise, Policies and Decline of Andreas Papandreou.'' When he finished editing it he changed the subtitle again to ''A NATO Ally Adrift,'' which he said more accurately reflects the book's contents.
But last December, when the book still bore the first subtitle - that is, ''The Rise, Policies and Decline of Andreas Papandreou'' - Ambassador Papoulias said in a letter to Professor Stavrou that Mr. Kapsis wished to withdraw his article. The reason, he said, was that the subtitle suggested ''a biased and unobjective context.'' A Question of Credibility
Professor Stavrou refused, saying that the project was already too far along and that any suggestion of bias and lack of objectivity ''touches upon my credibility as a scholar and upon the credibility of internationally known contributors.''
In an interview, Professor Stavrou, who was born in Greece but who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years and is an American citizen, said he would have withheld the article if Mr. Kapsis or Ambassador Papoulias had said only that they wished to withdraw it. ''But I couldn't withdraw it after they said the book is subjective, before they read a single line of it,'' the professor added.
Ambassador Papoulias said in a telephone interview that Mr. Kapsis contributed the article in good faith, and demurred after he learned that the planned subtitle talked about the ''decline'' of Mr. Papandreou.
''It's very improper for a high government official to be led to contribute to a book about the decline of the government he is serving,'' the Ambassador said. He also said he had talked by telephone with the publisher and the editor ''to try to make them understand it was unfair'' to include Mr. Kapsis's article in the book. Subtitle Changes Defended
Professor Stavrou said the subtitle under which the book would now be published was not chosen to mollify or accommodate the Greek Government, any more than the previous subtitle was intended to rile it.
''It is not unusual for a book to have one or more working titles right through the editing process,'' he said. ''And after I read the contributions in their entirety, it was clear that Papandreou is still popular, although the popularity of his party is declining. The new subtitle is meant to reflect the book's contents.''
Mr. Nimetz, the former State Department official, said he was unaware of any pressure from the Greek Government. ''No one has approached me in any way,'' he said. But he added that he did not find any of the book's essays particularly controversial. ''The book is an attempt to be descriptive, which is hard to do about a government that's still in power,'' he said, ''but I can't see much for anybody to object to.''
Robert Pranger, now a research fellow at the University of Maryland, also said the book was not polemical. ''It's a very straightforward book, not meant to excite,'' he said. Opponent of Greek Junta
Mr. Pranger added that he found the apparent animosity between Professor Stavrou and the Papandreou government ironic in view of past events. ''Stavrou in the '60's was an outspoken opponent of the Greek junta, like Papandreou,'' Mr. Pranger said. ''When I went to Greece in '81 and met Papandreou before the election, Nick set up the meeting.''
Mr. Caratzas, the Greek-born publisher of the book, charged that he and Professor Stavrou ''have been subjected to improper and inordinate pressure by the Papandreou government.'' The warning not to come to Greece, for instance, was made by Mr. Kapsis himself, among others, Mr. Caratzas said.
''The Ambassador referred to me as hostile to the democratically elected Greek Government,'' Mr. Caratzas said. ''I wrote to him and said that publishing a book critical in parts of a government doesn't mean that we are enemies.''
Ambassador Papoulias, while saying that Mr. Kapsis was within his rights in asking to withdraw his essay from the book, denied that his Government had tried to harass or intimidate Mr. Stavrou or Mr. Caratzas. ''Mr. Kapsis reserves his rights according to existing legislation in the U.S. or Greece,'' the Ambassador said. ''But that is not a threat - that's his right under the law.'' Racial Slur Protested
The racial incident came about last December when a member of the Greek Embassy press office staff reportedly denounced Professor Stavrou in a gathering, saying: ''Mr. Stavrou - he cannot write books, he can only teach niggers at a most mediocre university.''
Howard University, where Professor Stavrou has taught for two decades, is a predominantly black educational institution. In a letter of protest to Ambassador Papoulias, the chairman of Howard's department of political science, Hilbourne A. Watson, noted that he had learned ''personally'' of the denunciation and said he was ''strongly opposed'' to such an attack on Professor Stavrou.
Meanwhile, Professor Stavrou left this week for the Balkans, including Greece. His visit to his homeland is partly business, he said, because a Greek publisher is negotiating to publish the book. ''But I also intend to test this threat,'' he added. ''I do not intend to let a government harass or intimidate me.''
The State Department has cabled the United States Embassy in Athens to look after Professor Stavrou.
Professor Nikolaos A. Stavrou
his Balkan expert is with Balkan roots. He was born in village of Griazdani, in the part of Epirus that was assigned to Albania. Greek people, like Stavrou family, lived in Epirus for many millenia. During WWII the Greeks were targeted for extermination by Albanian Nazis known as Balli Kombætar, or Ballists. Stavrou family barely survived. The Albanian Nazis, hated Greeks for their devotion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Most Albanians converted to Islam during centuries long Ottoman rule of the Balkans. In 1952 Dr. Stavrou's family escaped from Albania to Greece and later moved to the United States.Dr. Stavrou is in touch with some very influential people of Washington, DC. One of his recent books "Mediterranean Security at the Crossroads: A Reader," first published in 1997, is co-authored by ex-U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.
Dr. Stavrou is also an editor of Mediterranean Quarterly a sholarly journal that offers insightful essays from the world's top policy makers, scholars, journalist, and international experts. It is a forum for provocative commentary and a source of deep analysis delivering global issues with a Mediterranean slant.
hen it came to civil wars in Yugoslavia and American increased involvement, professor Stavrou, as a Balkan expert, was eager to offer his views. Despite his influence in the high circles, very few of his articles were published in the Western press outside of the above mentioned Mediterranean Quarterly. We collected some of those rare published Professor Stavrou's articles and presented them here, on this web site:BOSNIA 101
Professor Stavrou tries to cover for Western media supposed lack of knowledge of the basic facts.
"Under the Albright-Clark-Holbrooke watch thousands of Mujahedeens flocked to the Balkans in support of Alija Izetbegovic's dream of a "fundamentalist Islamic Republic." Bin Laden's Mujahedeens even attempted to create a version of a mini-theocracy in Bosnia" says Professor Stavrou.
The Washington Times publishes article "KFOR: Repeating history" in which professor Stavrou reminds us of KLA's deep roots in Nazism. He says: "Under the fascist-Nazi umbrella, the Albanians gained control of Kosovo, efficiently cleansed it of 300,000 Serbs and kept the Yugoslav resistance busy, thus relieving Nazi troops for duty in Normandy. History repeats itself. Under a different patron, the Kosovars are now cleansing the territory of non-Albanians. [A]ncient Orthodox Churches are destroyed and innocent farmers massacred by [KLA - the] NATO's local allies.
"I saw firsthand the result of NATO´s and American policy´s failures in the Balkans. There is no success of American policy in Kosovo or anywhere else in the Balkans, no matter how loosely one defines success. Yet, our government continues its ostrich-like policies and refuses to come to grips with reality: i.e. that NATO failed in the Balkans and that it would make little sense to repeat last year´s folly in Montenegro". - writes Professor Stavrou for Washington Times in August 2000.
"The architects of the Balkan quagmire, Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, persist in their efforts to spin a failed Balkan policy... Human or civil rights were hardly, if ever, the core cause of post-Cold War Balkan which is traceable to... the careless conversion of administrative boundaries [of ex-Yugoslavia's Republics] into international borders... It is imperative that the Bush administration take an unambiguous stand in support of existing Balkan borders. Delay on this score would make turmoil beyond the boundaries of former Yugoslavia a mathematical certainty. " - Professor Stavrou for Washington Times, April 16, 2001. In other words -- the insane atomization of ex-Yugoslavia should stop!
On Easter 1944 Nikolaos A. Stavrou, then still a small child, barely survived Albanian Nazi attack on his village.
WASHINGTON TALK: STATE DEPARTMENT; Book on Greek Leader Stirs Diplomatic Dispute
It started out last year as a harmless sounding project: a book by American and Greek authors about the administration of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou of Greece, edited and published by Greek-Americans. But now, two months before publication, the project has created a stir involving the State Department, the Greek Embassy and others associated with it.
The book, ''Greece Under Socialism: A NATO Ally Adrift,'' is scheduled for publication Aug. 30 by Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, of New Rochelle, N.Y. It was edited by Nikolaos A. Stavrou, a professor of international affairs and political science at Howard University.
Professor Stavrou and Mr. Caratzas accuse officials of the Papandreou administration of trying to censor a chapter in the book, of trying to intimidate them for refusing to withdraw the chapter and, in one case, of using a racial epithet. Friends in the Greek Government, Mr. Caratzas said, warned both him and Professor Stavrou that warrants would be issued for their arrest if either of them visited Greece.
While acknowledging that he had asked to have the controversial chapter withdrawn, George Papoulias, the Greek Ambassador to the United States, has called the broader accusations ''nonsense.'' Four Greek Contributors
Among the 14 contributors to the book are four Greeks. Matthew Nimetz, a former Under Secretary of State, wrote the introduction, and Robert Pranger, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for international security, contributed a chapter. But it is the essay of Yannis Kapsis, Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Papandreou government, that stirred the controversy.
In response to an invitation from Professor Stavrou, Mr. Kapsis submitted an article last October on the philosophy and goals of Greek foreign policy. At that time the book's working title was ''PASOK in Power: A Critical Analysis of Its Domestic and Foreign Policies.'' PASOK is the acronym for Mr. Papandreou's governing party, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement.
While editing the manuscript, however, Professor Stavrou changed the title of the book to ''Greece Under Socialism: The Rise, Policies and Decline of Andreas Papandreou.'' When he finished editing it he changed the subtitle again to ''A NATO Ally Adrift,'' which he said more accurately reflects the book's contents.
But last December, when the book still bore the first subtitle - that is, ''The Rise, Policies and Decline of Andreas Papandreou'' - Ambassador Papoulias said in a letter to Professor Stavrou that Mr. Kapsis wished to withdraw his article. The reason, he said, was that the subtitle suggested ''a biased and unobjective context.'' A Question of Credibility
Professor Stavrou refused, saying that the project was already too far along and that any suggestion of bias and lack of objectivity ''touches upon my credibility as a scholar and upon the credibility of internationally known contributors.''
In an interview, Professor Stavrou, who was born in Greece but who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years and is an American citizen, said he would have withheld the article if Mr. Kapsis or Ambassador Papoulias had said only that they wished to withdraw it. ''But I couldn't withdraw it after they said the book is subjective, before they read a single line of it,'' the professor added.
Ambassador Papoulias said in a telephone interview that Mr. Kapsis contributed the article in good faith, and demurred after he learned that the planned subtitle talked about the ''decline'' of Mr. Papandreou.
''It's very improper for a high government official to be led to contribute to a book about the decline of the government he is serving,'' the Ambassador said. He also said he had talked by telephone with the publisher and the editor ''to try to make them understand it was unfair'' to include Mr. Kapsis's article in the book. Subtitle Changes Defended
Professor Stavrou said the subtitle under which the book would now be published was not chosen to mollify or accommodate the Greek Government, any more than the previous subtitle was intended to rile it.
''It is not unusual for a book to have one or more working titles right through the editing process,'' he said. ''And after I read the contributions in their entirety, it was clear that Papandreou is still popular, although the popularity of his party is declining. The new subtitle is meant to reflect the book's contents.''
Mr. Nimetz, the former State Department official, said he was unaware of any pressure from the Greek Government. ''No one has approached me in any way,'' he said. But he added that he did not find any of the book's essays particularly controversial. ''The book is an attempt to be descriptive, which is hard to do about a government that's still in power,'' he said, ''but I can't see much for anybody to object to.''
Robert Pranger, now a research fellow at the University of Maryland, also said the book was not polemical. ''It's a very straightforward book, not meant to excite,'' he said. Opponent of Greek Junta
Mr. Pranger added that he found the apparent animosity between Professor Stavrou and the Papandreou government ironic in view of past events. ''Stavrou in the '60's was an outspoken opponent of the Greek junta, like Papandreou,'' Mr. Pranger said. ''When I went to Greece in '81 and met Papandreou before the election, Nick set up the meeting.''
Mr. Caratzas, the Greek-born publisher of the book, charged that he and Professor Stavrou ''have been subjected to improper and inordinate pressure by the Papandreou government.'' The warning not to come to Greece, for instance, was made by Mr. Kapsis himself, among others, Mr. Caratzas said.
''The Ambassador referred to me as hostile to the democratically elected Greek Government,'' Mr. Caratzas said. ''I wrote to him and said that publishing a book critical in parts of a government doesn't mean that we are enemies.''
Ambassador Papoulias, while saying that Mr. Kapsis was within his rights in asking to withdraw his essay from the book, denied that his Government had tried to harass or intimidate Mr. Stavrou or Mr. Caratzas. ''Mr. Kapsis reserves his rights according to existing legislation in the U.S. or Greece,'' the Ambassador said. ''But that is not a threat - that's his right under the law.'' Racial Slur Protested
The racial incident came about last December when a member of the Greek Embassy press office staff reportedly denounced Professor Stavrou in a gathering, saying: ''Mr. Stavrou - he cannot write books, he can only teach niggers at a most mediocre university.''
Howard University, where Professor Stavrou has taught for two decades, is a predominantly black educational institution. In a letter of protest to Ambassador Papoulias, the chairman of Howard's department of political science, Hilbourne A. Watson, noted that he had learned ''personally'' of the denunciation and said he was ''strongly opposed'' to such an attack on Professor Stavrou.
Meanwhile, Professor Stavrou left this week for the Balkans, including Greece. His visit to his homeland is partly business, he said, because a Greek publisher is negotiating to publish the book. ''But I also intend to test this threat,'' he added. ''I do not intend to let a government harass or intimidate me.''
The State Department has cabled the United States Embassy in Athens to look after Professor Stavrou.
THE BALKANIZATION OF GREECE: THE UNFOLDING PROCESS
Nikolaos A. Stavrou
(Professor of International Affairs (Emeritus) at Howard University)
(Professor of International Affairs (Emeritus) at Howard University)
Copyright: Nikolaos A. Stavrou on line
A dangerous illusion shapes Greek foreign policy in the era of post-Balkanization of the Balkans. It is the illusion of unsustainable self-importance displayed by the chief Greek foreign policy maker when in fact her role resembles that of a classic tap dancer, performing a choreographed task for the amusement of a pre-selected audience. Like classic Harlem tap dancers, the rhythm and intensity of performance are determined by the duration and intensity of the applause. Thus at the conclusion of the most recent appearance in Washington the Greek foreign minister seemed ready to trade the dignity of the Serbian nation and the honor of Greece in pursuit of resolution of what has been known as a "name issue". The latest deal obligates Greece to "help sell the Kosovo" bitter pill to a demoralized Serbian nation in return for an acceptable substitute for FYROM. Such deals set in motion dangerous precedents and ominous implications for Greek interests and national security. A successful linkage of the Kosovo-FYROM issues, achieved by the chief handler of Greek officials in Washington, Nicholas Burns, leaves Greece vulnerable to future Balkanization; make no mistake about it.
For keen observers of Balkan affairs, this outcome is no surprise. For months the Greek foreign Minister was preaching "realism" to her counterpart in Belgrade with such persistence that it produced Vladimir Putin's linkage of Kosovo independence with the fate of Cyprus. One cannot help but be appalled by the thoughtless acceptance, and without counter arguments, the creation of a new state in the Balkans on the basis of geography, in gross violation of international law and a cavalier dismissal of the United Nations. It probably escaped the attention of the deep thinkers in the Greek foreign ministry but the fact remains that there is no such a thing as a "Kosovar" nationality pursuing self-determination, only Kosovo Albanians who are now setting the stage for an age old dream that was thwarted by the Balkan wars. The cradle of Serbian civilization, Kosovo, saw its demography altered by the settlement of 300.000 Albanians during the era of Nazi-Albanian collaboration which, combined with indigent Albanians, served as the rationale for Albanian claims against both Greece and Serbia. Just out of curiosity, how many Albanians have settled in Greece these days? This might sound as irrelevant history to cloned Greek enthusiast of diversity but it is worth repeating some glimpses of history from the not so distant past.
On May 3, 1941, six days after Nazi forces entered Athens, the government of Albanian Prime Minister Shefqet Verlaci dispatched a six member delegation to Rome to present to Duce "Albania's minimal demands toward Greece and Yugoslavia". Besides Kosovo, Verlaci asked for "the incorporation into Albania the cities of Ioannina and Preveza, together with their regions as well as certain other Greek regions, primarily in western Macedonia."Along with the "minimal" Albanian demands a song made its debut in Albania folklore with revealing lyrics which is still popular today, "pa Kosova e Chameria, nuke eshte Sqipeperia" (without Kosova and Chamuria, there is no Albania)
Does anybody in his/her right mind believe that the creation of a third blonde Islamic state in the Balkans would leave Greece in peace? No one objects to the right of an ethnic group to seek union with their brethren across the border. But creation of states on the basis of manufactured "facts on the ground" sets the stage for the balkanization of Greece. Coupled with externally- incited anarchic tendencies within Greece and the propensity of the Greek government to behave as an aggregate of deal makers rather than the custodians of national interests, the scene is now set for new national tribulations and no fall back positions.
Regrettably, Greece has traded her options, one by one, to the masterminds of a new "Near East" strategic concept which is modeled after the pre-1912 Balkan realities and was articulated as early as June 1992 by imperial planners. May God save Greece from power hungry Greek politicians.
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