Sean Mathews on Greece's regional comeback amid rivalry with Turkey
Update: 2025-10-14
Description
Sean Mathews, Athens-based journalist at Middle East Eye, on “The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East” (Hurst).
The book examines Greece’s comeback as a regional player, arguing that this has largely been triggered by neighbouring Turkey’s growing assertiveness and revisionism. It suggests that this competition increasingly means we should view Greece as a Levantine or even Middle Eastern country, anchored in the East Mediterranean.
The conversation also addresses the past, present and future of Turkey-Greece relations at a time when the geopolitical landscape is becoming increasingly uncertain.
Please support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2998854&fan_landing=true
Substack: https://turkeybooktalk.substack.com/
The book examines Greece’s comeback as a regional player, arguing that this has largely been triggered by neighbouring Turkey’s growing assertiveness and revisionism. It suggests that this competition increasingly means we should view Greece as a Levantine or even Middle Eastern country, anchored in the East Mediterranean.
The conversation also addresses the past, present and future of Turkey-Greece relations at a time when the geopolitical landscape is becoming increasingly uncertain.
Please support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2998854&fan_landing=true
Substack: https://turkeybooktalk.substack.com/
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