Elections in Greece are just a few days away . . . the third time Greeks will go to the polls since January 2015. In January they elected the left-wing government that promised relief from the austerity measures imposed by the the EU and the nation’s other creditors as a result of two bailouts in the past few years. The government struggled to deliver on its promises and called a referendum on the prospect of a third bailout agreement that would impose more austerity measures. That vote took place on 5 July 2015 and was a resounding “Ochi!” (Greek for “No!”). Yet not many days later the left-wing government agreed to new austerity measures in return for a third bailout, effectively rejecting the popular sentiment the Greeks expressed in the 5 July referendum. And so now, on 20 September, Greeks will go to the polls for a snap election because the left-wing government resigned in the wake of giving in to the terms imposed by the EU and its partners for the third bailout.
What does all of this mean for Greeks? To be blunt: the continuation of a recession that has gone on since 2009 and that often borders on depression; 26% unemployment and over 50% youth unemployment; higher taxes on goods and services used and consumed by the least able to pay them (including a 23% VAT on various kinds of prepared foods, and a threatened VAT of the same proportion on all private education); and the (probably empty) promise by the government to sell off and privatize some of its assets to create more revenue to pay its creditors. To sum it up: for ordinary Greeks the prospects for any kind of recovery are bleak, and the chances of even deeper economic suffering are considerable.
Add to this the refugee crisis and you would think Greece would be a very difficult place to be. So far, though, the group has experienced little of the pain that Greeks experience; few non-Greeks do, and Greeks seem very intent on ensuring that that remains the case—not a bad choice, since tourism and cash from outside of the country are key ingredients to the health that the economy does maintain. But in just over a week the group travels to Lesbos for a three-week stay. Lesbos is one of the centers of the refugee crisis, and there the experience will be different, indeed. (Check out the story in last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine.) Students will volunteer with an aid organization serving refugees as they seek to transit from Lesbos to the mainland. Also, nearly daily trips to Mytilene, the island’s port town, will provide many chances to encounter the refugee families as they clamor to get a spot on a ferry to Piraeus, Athens’ main port. Some of us will devote the week of free travel at the end of October to additional volunteer work on the island. We’ll be sure to report on those experiences and post pictures, as we are able to do so.