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Apr.28, 2015 | INTERNATIONAL

Greek Crisis: Prince of Tidings

A forlorn kingdom in turmoil. A historical land on the precipice of self-annihilation torn between the forces of good and evil. A battered realm in the midst of an epic battle raging ferociously for it's "integrity and soul".

 

On the losing side "the forces of reason and humanism", on the prevailing side, "new forms of authoritarianism" that have been for some time now unscrupulously "humiliating millions of innocent citizens, driving populations to despair, and buttressing" unconceivable "bigotry".

 

Dark forces so malevolent that "have the capacity to cause a humanitarian bloodbath". A whole continent reduced to a "house of cards destined to fall without a radical change in direction" and drag down into oblivion the whole world with it.

 

In this tempestuous, ominous times there is only one man who has the power to stand up to the forces of doom. Only one man, a chosen, enlighten man, who has the sacred wisdom to save his land "from impending catastrophe".

 

No, this is not the new season of Games of Thrones, but rather the new oeuvre, eloquently yet spookily titled "AND THE WEAK SUFFER WHAT THEY MUST", by maverick Greek finance minister and recovering publicity-addict, Yanis Varoufakis, out on hardcover on January 2016.

 

Although minister Varoufakis has written many books in the past, including "Game Theory: A critical Introduction", one has to commend him for finding the time to finish this latest one considering he is at the same time trying to avert an economic Armageddon befalling his country.

 

But then again, like Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the Spanish party that share the same anti-austerity platform with Syriza, the Greek ruling party, he may also believe that Game of Thrones (the actual series) "offers key points to understanding the political crisis". In that case it is only logical to be inspired by the popular series for both his economic policies and his literal musings.

 

In which case he probably shouldn't be that surprised that he was suddenly and unceremoniously stripped of his princely powers as many fictional characters have before him.

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