Dijsselbloem angers south European women

Until a few years ago, when before the leftist Syriza emerged as a dominant political power in her country, Sia Anagnostopoulou was best known as a professor of contemporary history with an emphasis on late Ottoman Empire.

She was also known in Turkey. Her book on the Greek-Orthodox communities of Asia Minor in the late 19th century has been published in Turkish as well as other studies of hers. She is one the Greek historians who includes Turkish among her foreign languages, and her wide circle of friends includes many well-known Turkish scholars.

However, for the last two years, her academic life was put on hold as her students pushed her into active leftist politics, as she says. And it was the people of Patras who voted for her "after checking her bio," as she claims, which landed her in the party of Syriza. She was given the portfolios of the Deputy Foreign Minister and then of the Deputy Education Minister until the recent government reshuffle made Anagnostopoulou remain outside the cabinet and continue as a member of the Greek parliament. 

And in normal circumstances, one would not have expected to see her name back on the headlines unless something extraordinary would have exposed her to public view. 

But even for an eminent Ottoman historian from Greece who entered active politics in her late 50s, current political controversies simmering in the heart of the EU could not but cause her frustration and anger, especially as she is a citizen of the European south and not from the "elite core" nations of the EU.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem is Dutch, he is the current president of the Eurogroup and is known as Mr. Euro as he is in charge of the economy ministers group of 19 EU countries in the zone of the euro - which Greece...