Greece needs to develop a medium-to-long-term plan for radical restructuring of its productive model, focusing on sectors with higher productivity and strengthening those with an outward-looking orientation.
The international environment is generally characterized by significant instability and uncertainty. The need for finding effective solutions is becoming imperative. Any serious attempt in this direction makes it absolutely necessary to activate and mobilize all the forces of Hellenism.
Greece’s Potential
Despite the challenges, Greece possesses significant potential, being a global powerhouse in three sectors: culture, diaspora, and shipping.
In the field of culture, the brilliance of ancient Greek civilization and the ever-relevant achievements of Greek antiquity in thought and the arts has not diminished.
Among Greece’s strongest advantages are the universal dimension of the Greek language, the arts, philosophy, and its contribution to the sciences. The enormous contribution of classical Greece to Western civilization remains ever-relevant, with the development of free citizen communities with democratic institutions, popular sovereignty, and advanced forms of governance based on social and ethical values.
Another critically important cultural heritage that is – relatively – underutilized by Greece is the International Olympic Movement, which is the strongest global brand. However, Greece has not been able to sufficiently highlight the relationship between the values of Olympism and the broader framework of Greek cultural heritage.
Regarding the Diaspora, Greece has the largest – proportionally – diaspora population abroad among European countries. The number of Greek scientists who have been trained in Greece or abroad and work in academic institutions, as well as public and private entities and companies, is enormous. In the USA and the rest of Europe, it is estimated that Greek academics and researchers number in the tens of thousands. Also, a large number of Greeks abroad excel as entrepreneurs and executives, having founded or holding significant positions in globally renowned companies. Other expatriates also excel as senior officials in International Organizations.
In terms of shipping, the Greek-owned commercial fleet is the largest globally. Greek shipowners control 20% of the world’s maritime shipping.
The issue is that neither the diaspora nor shipping represent viable, functioning networks of interconnected units. To exert influence proportional to their size and qualitative characteristics, their formation into organized networks is required. It will be of national importance to achieve the formation of these two networks and to ensure, through coordinated actions, their interconnection and the development of synergies between them. This will make it possible for Greece to maximize the utilization of its significant advantages.
Greece’s potential is not exhausted in the aforementioned areas: Greece is also an important regional energy and transport hub. Its power will be particularly important if it is confirmed that it holds significant, economically exploitable hydrocarbon reserves. The Eastern Mediterranean has become one of the world’s “hotspots,” creating significant new opportunities for Greece, resulting in a substantial upgrade in its geopolitical position. This is further confirmed by the trilateral partnerships (Greece-Cyprus-Israel and Greece-Cyprus-Egypt) in which Athens is dynamically involved.
From the above, it is clear that any national strategy must focus on the optimal utilization of its long-standing comparative advantages: its maritime tradition, its culture, and the geographical spread of Hellenism, which have functioned as mutually reinforcing interconnected elements since ancient times. Such a development would significantly contribute to the international upgrade of Greece’s position in the global balance of power, providing substantial additional geostrategic protection against any threats to its national security.
In this process, it is a national obligation and necessity for the inexhaustible forces of global Hellenism to actively participate. If mobilized effectively, they can become the most powerful strategic asset. After all, the establishment of the modern Greek state would never have been possible without the comprehensive and decisive mobilization of the then Greek Diaspora.
Learn more here about the mission of Komvos.