On the occasion of Ochi Day

Just after the Hellenic Navy light cruiser Elli was torpedoed on August 15, 1940, Ioannis Metaxas called a meeting of high-ranking officials and announced that Greece had come under attack from the Italians and was prepared, if necessary, to go to war. The moment of truth arrived on October 28, 1940, when the Italian ambassador got the Greek prime minister out of bed in the middle of the night and told him he had three hours to consider Mussolini's ultimatum for capitulation. Metaxas said no ("ochi") - what he actually replied was "Alors, c'est la guerre" (Then it is war).

Back to the present: Though Greece is being worn down, the stakes are negligible compared to 1940 yet have nevertheless managed to transform politics into a stage of infantile bickering. We should be thankful for the fact that over this period, our relations with Turkey are relatively stable and can be...