Greek Foreign Policy in Defence of the National Interest: Teetering between Exceptionalism and Integration

Abstract

This paper aims to explain how crisis-ridden Greece defines and defends its national interest. The constellation of the twin economic and migration crises coupled with the increasingly transactional nature of the global order have forced Greece’s hand in sticking to its guns with regard to its membership in both NATO and the European Union. While deterrence vis-à-vis Turkey remains a high priority, Greece has had to labour to regain its status and credibility within both aforementioned organizations by evolving away from its traditional policy of balancing between its membership obligations in NATO and the EU and its more nuanced approach to relations with Russia in contrast to many other countries.

Keywords

National Interest, Foreign Policy, Greece, Transactionalism, Crisis

Citation

Triantaphyllou, Dimitrios, “Greek Foreign Policy in Defence of the National Interest: Teetering between Exceptionalism and Integration”, Uluslararası İlişkiler, Volume 15, No. 58, 2018, pp. 107-117.

Affiliations

• Dimitrios Triantaphyllou, Assoc. Prof. Dr., Department of International Relations, Kadir Has University