‘Giants’ and the future
Greece was very fortunate because it had a generation of Greek-American “giants” by its side upon whom it could rely whenever it faced difficulties. This was the generation that exerted immense pressure on Henry Kissinger after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and spent its political and economic capital to help Greece.
These were also the people who picked up the phone on the critical night of the Imia crisis to speak with Bill Clinton. Paul Sarbanes, Archbishop Iakovos, John Brademas, Andrew Athens, along with others who are still active, like Mike Dukakis and Angelo Tsakopoulos, were the protagonists of a “golden age” of influence and power for the Greek-American community. The problem? All this power never transformed into something institutionalized with mechanisms and a serious lobby. Unlike the pro-Israel lobby, which does not rely on individual figures and therefore has had continuity and resilience over time.
No such “giants” of the same scope and disposition exist on the political horizon. Times are not favorable, in general. They are certainly not the few Greek-Americans who advertise their relationship with former US president Donald Trump or anyone else without ever having done anything for their second homeland. After all, all they know is how to demand to buy companies or real estate cheaply in Greece because their grandfather was Greek. In their eyes, Greece is the poor country of the 1950s and they see themselves in a role that only befits a Greek movie.
We set them apart from those who genuinely care about Greece and do what they can to help. If they could also sit at a table and put their differences aside, it would be very important for Hellenism.
But there is also a younger generation that has spent time in Greece and Cyprus, Greek Americans who have bonded with their people their age and want to contribute. These people see Greece very differently. The country must “invest” in them if we want the future generation of Greek-American leaders to emerge.
