Greece Sails On

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Greece Sails On



by Darris McNeely
One of our BT Dailies this week focused on the Eurozone crisis and the impact of a Greek departure should their debt crisis remain unrelieved. The exit of Greece from the Eurozone would have unknown consequences on the future of the union, especially for the other nations like, Spain and Portugal who are struggling with debt problems. The humiliation of the Greek people is another incalculable matter. Leaving the neighborhood association and striking out alone creates another set of problems.



A Financial Times article shows a Greek withdrawal would impact Cyprus which is exposed to large amounts of Greek debt. Russia last year loaned Cyprus a large amount of money to protect Russian financial interests there.



Another twist in the story is the discovery of large amounts of natural gas in the waters between Cyprus and Israel. Combine this with Turkey's interests in the eastern Mediterranean region and you can easily see that changes in Greece's stays will impact other key players in Europe and the Middle East. Geopolitics does not occur in a vacuum.



Walter Russell Mead points out the deep historical, cultural and religious ties between Greece, Cyprus and Russia. Orthodox Christianity's heart joins both Greece and Russia. Mount Athos in Greece is the monastic and spiritual center of Greek religion.



The Russian tsars married into the Byzantine royal house; the word tsar (or czar) is the Russian form of Caesar, indicating the strong Russian sense that Orthodox Moscow, after the fall of Constantinople, was the “Third Rome.” Much of modern Russian identity and sense of a unique place in the world is wrapped up in its civilizational connection with Byzantine culture and religion. Mount Athos, the center of Orthodox monasticism and the spiritual heart of Greece, looms large in Russia. No less a person than President Vladimir Putin has made pilgrimages to this site.



As we pointed out in our commentary this week it is important to take the long view on the present Euro crisis . There are large problems impacting the Eurozone. There will be a solution to the present crisis that will keep the European project moving forward. There will be changes to the present lineup and configuration of nations. But Europe is not going to diaper as a major world power bloc. Bible prophecy tells of a group of leaders forming a pact with one powerful charismatic leader to emerge with a "solution". All of this will take place as foretold.



In the meantime it is always interesting to see how this is going to play out. Changes are taking place in Europe and the Middle East that will realign the powers into the final image shown in the book of Revelation.