Greece is in turmoil over what can only be seen as the ruling Syriza party's bait-and-switch: the government called a referendum on the EU-mandated austerity plan, voters said "No," and then the administration went ahead and agreed to a similar plan, sparking the worst riots in Athens in years. Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis stepped down, and most Syriza MPs have broken with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Amid all this, the Jerusalem Post reports more news that will alienate Tsipras from his leftist base. It seems that on July 6, Tsipras' Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias spoke in Jerusalem of developing what the JP calls an "axis of security" (uncertain if Kotzias himself used that phrase) made up of Greece, Cyprus and Israel. This is an ostensible response to what Kotzias called a "triangle of destabilization" delineated by Ukraine, Libya and Iraq/Syria. "We have to create inside this triangle a security and stability framework, and the relations between Israel, Cyprus and Greece are very important," Kotzias said. "I call it the stabilization line in this area."
We've already noted Israeli plans to begin offshore gas drilling in Cypriot waters—an extension of its controversial drilling in waters off the Gaza Strip. Adding Greece to this nascent "axis" should not be well-received by lefties either in Greece or around the world. We also have to say that we at World War 4 Report were suspicious of Syriza before it was cool, having noted its bloc with right-wing xenophobes around a populist Euro-skeptic program. That populism is looking a tad bogus now, eh?
