In a recently unveiled autobiography, named Ithaki, the former premier Tsipras pulls no punches while he reflects on the chaotic era during Greece's financial crisis.
A Controversial Choice
According to Tsipras's account, Tsipras chose the unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis as his finance minister mainly due to his international reputation along with Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” skills when it came to communicator.
“He was, actually, more like a personality rather than an economist,” recalled Tsipras.
Conflicting Agendas
The former leader claims that Varoufakis possessed a personal agenda that involved advancing his books as well as experimenting with his game theories on the nation rather than truly fighting for its financial survival.
Tsipras wrote how those talks to prevent bankruptcy were “not only a way of achieving improved terms for the country. They became an experiment, a monumental chance to demonstrate the truth of his ideas.”
Critical Talks
Amid tense negotiations, Greece found itself perilously close to leaving the eurozone.
At stake lay both Greece's destiny but also the punishing austerity policies demanded in exchange for financial aid by foreign lenders.
Unsuccessful Options
Attempts to secure funds elsewhere, such as a desperate plea to the Kremlin to buy Greek government bonds, were rejected.
Helping the indebted country was equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, the Russian leader is reputed to have informed Tsipras in Moscow.
Referendum Followed by Reversal
That summer, the excoriating conditions were subjected to a popular referendum, an action which threw the EU into a deeper existential crisis.
Although the referendum was won resoundingly by voters against the cuts, Tsipras had little option to ignore the result and agree to a bailout package with foreign lenders that turned out to be more severe.
Final Straw
The ex-PM revealed that he began to doubt Varoufakis quite early on.
“He was the face of negotiation, the figure who attracted media attention, who appeared on the front pages of magazines the world over … he gave the impression he relished the spotlight.”
After the minister outlined a contingency plan that included establishing a secondary currency and issuing vouchers to pensioners, the leader knew that it was game over and asked Varoufakis: “Are you serious?”
Lasting Criticism
In the book, Tsipras asserts that his former ally had proved himself “unsuitable for an agreement demanding intricate and sensitive handling.”
He further claimed how his aggressive approach left him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while helped hawks that were advocating a Greek exit from the euro.
The retelling of history has provoked fury and shock in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.
