Editorial: Deterrence

The age-old axiom is clear and spot on.

If you want peace, prepare for war.

The dramatic lessons of Ukraine confirm the veracity of the adage.

The element of surprise, the revision of borders through aggression, and the new era in which a series of countries, including Russia and Turkey, dispute international law, mandate the creation of a zone of deterrence.

That requires the full preparations of states, especially those such as Greece, which is confronted with an escalation of Turkish aggressiveness, with the revisionist dogma of the “Blue Homeland” [which lays claim to large swathes of Greece’s maritime zones], and with Ankara’s other dangerous, expansionist theories.

Deterrence must be established at many levels – armaments, the proper planning of the country’s defence (including preparation for new, hybrid forms of attack), a pro-active diplomacy that exerts pressure in international forums and shapes alliances, and a constant state of alert are some of the preconditions for shielding the country against Turkish threats.

These days, Athens must calmly and vigilantly stand up to Ankara’s barrage of inflammatory statements and provocations.

It must remind everyone that Greece is a Western country that is peaceful, a regional pole of stability, a member of the EU and NATO, and a nation with red lines regarding its sovereignty.

Regional stability depends on fending off revisionism and on Greece’s military, diplomatic, and political readiness.