Building a shield

Greece came into being, survived and developed as a state because it was able to combine the so-called Greek spirit with the support of key powers every time it stood at a critical crossroads. It can do so again, as long as it plays its cards right.

At the moment we are faced with a Turkey that has closed itself off from everyone, including the United States, Europe, and Israel. No one can really read Recep Tayyip Erdogan's intentions, but most respected analysts agree that the path the Turkish president has put his country on is pulling it further away from the West - and that it is an irreversible path.

Officials in Washington have started making some preliminary plans about how they will react if they lose Turkey for good. The US is deepening defense cooperation with Greece, making use of the Souda Bay base in Crete and potentially other bases. It would be premature...