Within his recently unveiled autobiography, named Ithaki, the former prime minister Alexis Tsipras pulls no punches as he reflects on the chaotic era during Greece's economic turmoil.
A Controversial Choice
As per Tsipras's account, Tsipras selected that unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis to be the finance minister largely because of his global profile along with his “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to public orator.
“In reality, he was, truthfully, more like a star and less of an economist,” wrote the 51-year-old.
Clashing Priorities
Tsipras suggests that Varoufakis possessed a personal motives that involved promoting his books and testing out his own game theories on Greece instead of genuinely fighting for the country's economic stability.
Tsipras explained that the talks to avoid insolvency became “not only a method of achieving a better deal for Greece. They became an experiment, an historic opportunity to demonstrate the validity of Varoufakis's ideas.”
Critical Talks
During rollercoaster negotiations, Greece found itself dangerously on the brink of leaving the eurozone.
At stake lay both the country's destiny and the punishing austerity measures required in exchange for bailout funds from international creditors.
Failed Alternatives
Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as an urgent appeal to Russia to buy Greek government bonds, were rejected.
Assisting Greece would be equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, the Russian leader reportedly informed Tsipras in Moscow.
Public Vote Followed by Reversal
In July 2015, the harsh bailout terms were subjected to a public vote, an action that threw the EU into a further existential crisis.
Although the vote was carried resoundingly by voters against the cuts, the prime minister was forced but to reject its outcome then agree to a bailout package from foreign lenders which turned out to be even harsher.
Final Straw
Tsipras claimed how he started questioning Varoufakis quite early on.
“Varoufakis was the face of the talks, the man who attracted media attention, who graced the covers of publications globally … it seemed he was enjoying his new role.”
After the minister proposed a contingency plan that included creating a secondary currency and issuing coupons to pensioners, the leader said he realised it was the end and asked him: “Is this for real?”
Lasting Rebuke
In the memoir, Tsipras asserts how Varoufakis had proved himself to be “unfit for a deal that required intricate and sensitive management.”
He also claimed that his aggressive approach made him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, while assisted hardliners that were advocating Grexit.
The account of history has been met with fury and shock in some quarters, whereas the former minister has so far kept a deafening silence regarding these claims.
