Greece, Cyprus and Kissinger

Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state who passed away on Thursday, took with him the secrets that pursued him like ghosts, making him steer clear of the Cyprus issue. Based on personal experiences linked to an obsession with the events of 1974, I can attest that this historic episode greatly perturbed him. In reality, Greece and Cyprus became victims of his cynical realism. Initially, Greece was viewed solely through the lens of the Cold War and the Middle East situation. His interest lay in having a pro-American government in power, assisting the US and Israel in times of crisis - nothing more. This stance became evident in meetings during the tenure of the formidable Dimitris Ioannidis, the "invisible dictator." Anyone urging him to pressure the regime for the restoration of democracy received the monotonous reply, "This is the State Department, not a political...