Democracy under threat, ex-UN chief warns Athens forum
Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a dire warning over the future of democracy in a speech Wednesday on the opening day of the annual Athens Democracy Forum, organized by The New York Times and Kathimerini.
Annan referred to the unbridled forces of globalization that divide societies into winners and losers on an unprecedented scale.
The former UN chief said taxes for the middle class are rising while incomes remain stagnant, adding that economic inequality breeds political inequality.
He also referred to the inability of the ruling SYRIZA government to stop austerity despite the democratic mandate it received.
