The Greek patient - What's really going on?

Some of you are probably asking yourselves by now, "Why all the fuss if there's no really big identifiable problem?" Like so many other nations the world over, the Greeks have borrowed more than they can probably ever repay, but that in and of itself shouldn't be the issue. So have the Americans, the Brits, the Japanese, and most of the European countries as well. Despite massive cuts to their social systems, the implementation of inhuman austerity programs, and the forking over of billions of euros in support payments, Greece in further in debt now than it was at the beginning of the crisis? How can that be? It's easy. Greece, and most certainly the Greek people, never see a cent of that money. It is simply siphoned off to the country's creditors (read: banks and financial institutions) primarily servicing only outstanding interest. To my knowledge, the capital hasn't been touched yet. At this rate, the Greeks will never get out of debt. How many of you has it occurred to that maybe, just maybe, that's the plan?

I'm not spinning out the latest conspiracy theory here. What follows is not something my feeble mind could make up. But, I can assure you, it will make you wonder nevertheless.

The crisis in Greece moved into full gear in 2004. The Prime Minister at the time was Konstantinos Karamanlis. Though having studied at Tufts University in the US (masters and PhD), Karamanlis turned his attentions away from the US toward Russia, offering Putin to become involved in Gazprom's newly planned cooperative venture with the Italian energy company Eni, the South Stream gas pipeline, which was to run from Russian, through the Black Sea, then Bulgaria (thereby avoiding the Ukraine, who has periodically been less than cooperative with the Moscow government) at which point it can branch south towards Italy and northwest toward Austria, thereby increasing gas service to Europe. Kamaranlis thought the Greeks could get involved, and Putin thought Russia could help Greece develop its energy industry. Sounded like win-win to those involved.

Now, who would be surprised if I said at this point that our friends in the States were anything but pleased? Why should they care? Isn't business just business? Well, it would be if the Americans weren't planning on building their own – the Nabucco – pipeline from the area around the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey (thereby avoiding Russia) to Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary to a distribution point in Austria.

The construction of South Stream started in 2012, so it will be built. The Americans are trying to gain a foothold with the dictator in Turkmenistan, a particularly unsavory character, even for American political tastes, and haven't been able to get their ball rolling yet. And then the nerve of those pesky (let us not forget, lazy, tax-evading) Greeks cozying up to Russia like that. Was somebody trying to rain on someone else's parade. It would seem so.

Obviously something needed to be done. But what? And this is where, at least to me, things really start getting interesting.