March 15,1999

THE DESCENDANTS OF ODYSSEUS AND THE FIASCO OCALAN

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The scandalous abduction of Ocalan in Nairobi, was a painful blunder of the Greeks, due to lack of executive sophistication and absence of a comprehensive and definitive plan of action, by their political leadership, which pretends to represent, a modern nation state, as a worthy member of the European Union. The Ocalan fiasco represents the apex of an iceberg of acute dysfunction of the state machinery and the governing elite as well, which has now obligated Greece, to foot the entire bill,for an international problem, which is actually, the natural consequence of the atrocious internal policies of Turkey.

Within the Omogenia in America, this clumsy affair has produced disappointment, but came as no surprise. The bad smell of general ineptitude within the state machinery, is easily traceable from afar. Perennial strikes and takeovers of Schools, ineptitude and corruption within Police ranks(which in older days were known to be exemplary), the poor condition of higher education, the flight of young people to foreign Universities, crime, and the insecurity of the populace (with fear from the hordes of illegal immigrants), the rampant politicization of everything in people's life and other tell tale signs, when taken together, provide a vivid picture of general dysfunction.

Specifically, the Ocalan fiasco in Nairobi was the result of a clash, between two sharply contrasting factors:1) the amateurish and without a definitive and well thought of plan, for handling an explosive problem, that was literally, emitting "sparks in all directions" and 2) the tough and sophisticated environment of realpolitik in Nairobi, which is replete with agents of the superpower and possibly those of Mossad, with their pandora's box full of ultramodern equipment of electronic surveillance and observation. The Greeks reached Nairobi with Ocalan, literally walking on thorns barefooted and permitted the use of his unsecured cellular phone, which was in contact with half of humanity.

PROBLEMS IN GREECE. The responsibility for this fiasco belongs to the political leadership. With its robotic appearance and mode of operation, it lacks passion and dexterity for fixing the chaotic infrastructure and the effective projection of the country to the outside world, especially the United States. It lacks passion for dynamic development of the security and the armed forces(to the contrary, antimilitarism continues as a delayed reaction against the Junta), and does not possess the shrewdness to search for and utilize the talent and brain power, of American Hellenes. In our blessed country, reside some of the geniuses of Hellenism and the Greek leadership ignores them completely. Whereas,the water-flow to the world, is controlled here, in the United States, yet among the 300 extremely capable members of Parliament, only a small number has been educated in America and very few of them are familiar with American culture.

The Greek leadership is strongly Eurocentric, which makes sense due to EU membership. However, the indispensable systematic development of a twin orientation of foreign policy, to include the United States, has remained anemic, despite the built-in advantage of the Omogenia.

All leadership problems are magnified, by their synergy with known pitfalls of the Greeks, such as: distaste for collective action, the maniacal fixation on partying and having good time, the persistent belief that they known it all, the contrary way of thinking, the lack of realization that advanced societies function at a much higher level and that the information revolution has inexorably prevailed throughout this planet.

Characteristically, most Greeks will not return phone calls or respond to correspondence. Instead, they answer you with silence. They have a partying culture, with the highest consumption of whiskey per capita in Europe and an unnatural tendency to work yawning all day and to party all night.

The famous planning of the Anglo-Saxons is inconceivable to most Greeks. With Ocalan in Italy, a high level Task-Force should have been set up immediately, to include members of the secret service and the army special forces, on the basis of a comprehensive and definitive plan for handling the problem. It was inappropriate for Mr. Simitis to turn pale, when informed that Ocalan was indeed in Greece. Simply, he should have smiled and ordered that the existing plan be accurately followed. Furthermore, because the Greeks live within a notoriously bad neighborhood of Europe and are adjacent to the Fault-Line that separates two completely different civilizations (Christianity and Islam), and have the nightmare of Turkey over them, even 170 years after liberation, they should have maintained the security and armed forces, at the highest degree of perfection and strictly outside the clientelism of the political system. At this point, of highest priority should be, the avoidance of secret service penetration by foreign agents.

Another crucial deficiency is the dysfunction of the educational system throughout, especially at the High School, but also at the University education, which resembles the level of a third world country, despite the availability of very many outstanding professors with strong training and research experience abroad. The Universities should be high energy nurseries, for nurturing the country's leadership class.Furthermore,it is scandalous, that the rich scientific talent and the multifaceted experience of an army of Greeks who live abroad, are not at all, coveted and in great demand in Greece. Some who made an effort to return from patriotism, encountered a granite wall from the University establishment.

Additionally, the ideologically, strictly, party and clientele- oriented political elite, not only does not seek this amazing talent, but to the contrary,refuses, arrogantly and irresponsibly, every single suggestion and thoroughly documented proposal, of the experts of diaspora, especially the Greek-Americans.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OCALAN FIASCO

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On the basis of the background data given above, even a High School student in America can explain the reasons underlying the Ocalan fiasco. The security forces on the basis of a plan should have immediately isolated Ocalan (for his own personal safety and protection), disarmed his underlings, dumped his cellular phone into the gulf of Saronikos, and should have then applied their comprehensive plan of action. The negotiations with other countries which could provide him with asylum should have been done much in advance. It was preposterous for Greece to handle Ocalan like a privileged visitor or a diplomatic problem in need of a solution.

Instead, Ocalan was for Greece, a very hot potato and an acute international megaproblem, closely related to this planet's superpower(that has vowed against any individual she has classified as a terrorist) and with Turkey, the implacable antagonist of Hellenism, which has an unholy alliance and works closely with Israel, with its powerful lobby in the United States, which lobby in turn, has been mobilized in order to present Turkey, as a pure democracy and as the axis of this earth.

The Israeli-Turkish alliance and the support of the Jewish lobby for Turkey, should have been introduced into the equation early on. Ocalan should have never gone to Nairobi, the hornet's nest of talent and technology. The Embassy personnel were unsuitable for handling such a radioactive individual and the possibilities for a fiasco were astronomical.Due to the absence of a comprehensive plan the Greeks provided the invader of Cyprus Mr. Ecevit, with a spectacular victory and thus the descendants of Odysseus were ridiculed as incompetent amateurs, in the cynical game of nations. The geopolitical consequences for Greece,by the injury imparted on Kurds by Turkey, will be transient.

OCALAN FIASCO AND OMOGENIA

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Since 1996 Israel has made a peculiar alliance with Turkey, which involves several levels and is directed against their enemies,whose number is substantial. They both have huge and intractable internal problems(including serious violations of human rights)and are at an undeclared war situation, with almost all surrounding nations and apparently are dreaming, that this peculiar alliance will solve their unsolvable problems. Whereas Israel and Turkey, insist ad nauseam, that they constitute the bulwarks against fundamentalism and international terrorism, to the contrary, they both promote fundamentalism with their policies and practice state terrorism against part of their own population. The state terrorism of Israel was expressed recently in the heart of Europe, by the killing of three and injury of 16 unarmed Kurds at an Israeli Consulate in Germany.

However, very crucial for the Omogenia, is the propaganda earthquake (8.0 Richter) which occurred in America on November 8,1998, when three key organizations of the Jewish-American lobby, published its congratulations to Turkey, in the New York Times.

This was the beginning of open support for the Israeli-Turkish alliance, which is a huge problem for Hellenism in America and a huge negative for Greece. Moreover, on December 17th, 1998, the Antidefamation League(ADL) honored Mr. Mesut Yilmaz, with a lavish dinner and an award, as a distinguished politician with devotion to ..human rights and to peace. At the Central Connecticut State University, many distinguished Greek-Americans stopped the process of an award to Mr. Rauf Raif Denktash, which was proposed by Jewish- American professors.

The organized Omogenia should cooperate closely with the Armenian-Americans, in alliance with other ethnic minorities. The Ocalan fiasco will produce some difficulties in our cooperation with some minority organizations. Most importantly however, there is an urgent need for energizing close cooperation and coordination of efforts among our organizations on behalf of Hellenism.The Israeli-Turkish alliance supported by the Jewish lobby, will make Turkey more arrogant and bellicose in Cyprus and the Aegean. This is the great challenge for Omogenia, in 1999.

WHAT GREECE SHOULD DO

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The partial reshuffling of the Greek Government is not deemed to be satisfactory, on the basis of our criteria of strategic planning. The Prime Minister simply recycled certain individuals and left unchanged the total dynamics and mode of dysfunction of the Government. We strongly suggest the following:

1. For handling effectively the present anomaly, for a drastic improvement of the infrastructure, for coping effectively with the Israeli-Turkish alliance,a steady preparation for the 2004 Olympics and vigorous projection of an improved image of Greece abroad, the Government should be enriched by technical talent as follows:

a) Most of the Undersecretaries should be replaced by Technician-Academics(holding Ph.D.degrees from ranking Universities abroad),and with executive experience, preferably in England or the United States. They should be able to speak excellent English and be well versed in Computers and in Internet use, for maximizing the effective use of information by the people under their supervision.

b) The main task of these Undersecretaries, among others, should be the shake-up of the Ministries, as related to administration,the technical communication facilities and the formation of Task-Forces comprising distinguished academics of diaspora, especially from America, with a far reaching program of Lectures and Seminars, aimed at projecting an greatly improved image of Greece abroad, especially in North America.

2. Greece needs as soon as possible "a heavy weight" Secretary of Foreign Affairs, who must have studied and worked as a Professor at a prominent American University, who must speak impeccable English,

must know American culture and history, be endowed with a magnetic personality and be also, eloquent and articulate. In other words Greece needs to confront the Turkish Foreign Ministry, with superb Organization and with Brain Power.

3. Due to the fact, that Jewish-Americans now support Turkey, strong countermeasures are indicated. A dynamic American-trained Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, with a Ph.D., from an American University is needeed, who speaks fluent English, has connections, and experience and who is an excellent public speaker. He should remain six months out of the year in America and Canada, for lectures and for coordinating the activities of key organizations of Omogenia and facilitating the formation of Task-Forces which could promote strong efforts, on behalf of Hellenism.

4. Because Turkey is important to America on account of Geography, the situation in Iraq and the need for oil pipelines, Greece should promote the rapprochement of America with Iran. The recent visit of the Iranian President to Italy, which was read as a signal that the thaw is in progress, constitutes a hopeful sign. A high power committee of distinguished Greek and Greek-American experts could prepare options for such an approach. This is the only avenue for reducing Turkey's significance for American interests.

IN SUMMARY:The Ocalan fiasco, initiated by a retired naval officer, occurred because of poor executive dexterity and lack of meticulous planning and because Greek society, is still functioning on the basis of contacts, circles of acquaintances and on bluff, without strict organization and little meritocracy.

The negative impressions generated by the fiasco will dissipate rather quickly because humanity is very busy with a myriad of other problems. The maniacal arrogance of the governing Turkish elite and of the military establishment that calls the shots, will produce a lot of damage in Turkey itself, because it resembles the German arrogance before War World II. The Turks are the worst enemy to themselves.

Their problem is the rights of 14 million Kurds in Turkey and not only Ocalan. With an elaborate propaganda network in the European Union, Ocalan will be a martyr for 30 million Kurds, following a trial(Turkish style)and his almost certain hanging. His jailers are holding a tiger by the tail. The panoply of international media will descend on Turkey, for an excruciating Inquisition of her brutal state mechanism and her atrocious record of human rights. Kurdish autonomy will come clearly at the forefront and the members of the EU will realize the futility of Turkey's admission. Other losers from the Ocalan fiasco will be America and Israel,especially in the eyes of 1.1 billion Moslems. Our government should push Mr. Demirel to promote a political solution of the Kurdish problem and to stop, his sterile threats (read diversions) against Greece.

Finally, the Ocalan fiasco should be a powerful catalyst to Greece for a shake-up of the state-machinery, a systematic reshuffle of the Secret Service, and the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassies and Consulates (for eliminating possible moles) and for a fundamental strengthening of Foreign Policy, using for the first time in history, new talent from abroad, especially from Omogenia in America. The Greek-American intelligentsia, together with their multiple allies, understand first hand, how to counteract effectively, Turkish machinations and propaganda.

Michael C. Geokas,M.d.,M.Sc.,Ph.D.* PUBLISHED: The National Herald(NY) Professor of Medicine and March 27-28, 1999.

Biological Chemistry,UC,Davis (Em)

School of Medicine.

Anastasios T. Papathanasis,Ph.D.

Professor of Political Economy

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain,Connecticut.

Tel: 925\946-0180

FAX: 925\946-1987