June 7, 2006
Council of Europe
Abstract:
The United States of America finds that neither the classic instruments of criminal law and procedure, nor the framework of the laws of war (including respect for the Geneva Conventions) has been apt to address the terrorist threat. As a result it has introduced new legal concepts, such as "enemy combatant" and "rendition", which were previously unheard of in international law and stand contrary to the basic legal principles that prevail on our continent. Thus, across the world, the United States has progressively woven a clandestine "spider's web" of disappearances, secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers, often encompassing countries notorious for their use of torture. Hundreds of persons have become entrapped in this web, in some cases merely suspected of sympathising with a presumed terrorist organisation....
October 6, 2005
Globalsecurity.org
Abstract:
The Greek civil war of 1945-1947 was really a continuation of struggles born during the Second World War. In 1936 General Ioannis Metaxas dissolved the Greek parliament and established himself as dictator under the restored monarch of Giorgios II. During the Second World War the Balkans was a secondary theater of operations. Organized resistance in Greece was broken and the country suborned to a combined German, Italian, and Bulgarian occupation. The Greek and Yugoslav Communist parties,in particular, succeeded in mobilizing large-scale partisan resistance and placing real military pressure on occupation forces....
December 7, 2004
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Abstract:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed shortly after the end of the Second World War to counter the threat of Soviet invasion of Western Europe. The treaty setting up the alliance was signed in 1949 by 10 Western European nations as well as Canada and the United States. NATO's mandate is to provide a common defence for the European and Atlantic areas, and to address common issues faced by the member countries.
December 3, 2004
Minorities at Risk Project // Center for International Development and Conflict Management // University of Maryland
Abstract:
Under the treaty of Lausanne, which ended the Greco-Turkish war in 1923, ethnic Greeks in Turkey and ethnic Turks in Greece were exchanged to be reunited with their kinsmen. However, an exception was made for Turks living in the area of Thrace and Greeks living in Istanbul. As a result the Turk minority is concentrated in this area of Greece. While not considered to be racially different from the Greek population, the group does speak Turkish, not Greek, and they have different traditions and customs and what has been historically most important, they are Muslim, not Greek Orthodox. Due to their concentration and the history of animosity between Greeks and Turks, the group is highly cohesive. It should be noted that there are other Muslims in Greece, found mainly in the Dedocanese Islands, but they have assimilated into Greek culture, with only their religion being different from the majority.
The Turks have endured and continue to endure discrimination and prejudice in most aspects of life in Greece from both the government and the population as a whole.
It is unlikely that the Turks in Greece will begin to use militant strategies in attempting to improve their position in the Greek society. This has n#ot been a strategy that has been used in the past, and the group lacks the organization to plan such a strategy. Additionally, there has been an improvement in relations between both the Turks and Greeks inside Greece, and between the Greek and Turkish government. As a result of the mutual cooperation between the two countries after each was hit by earthquakes have opened a new dialog between the two countries. This 'earthquake diplomacy' has not removed the prejudice that exists in the populations, but there is a new willingness to consider some change.
The group does possess the risk factors that tend to lead to protest: repression, political and economic discrimination, support from organized kindred groups, and a fairly new democracy. It is therefore likely that protests will continue, and possibly escalate. If the Turks in Greece organize to greater degree, then the possibility of further protests is enhanced. Of course, none of these statements apply to Muslims outside of Thrace, or non-Turkish Muslims in the general population. While they are still forced to identify their religion on their identity cards, the way other Muslims do, and are subject to the same forms of discrimination, they do not enjoy the same protections under the Treaty of Lausanne. For them, there has been no improvement whatsoever....
December 3, 2004
Minorities at Risk Project // Center for International Development and Conflict Management // University of Maryland
Abstract:
The Roma began arriving in Greece in the Middle Ages, and have spread throughout the country in search of better economic opportunities. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, and lack of concentration within Greece, the Roma as a group are not cohesive and organized. Although the Roma in Greece speak the same language as the rest of the population, they have a different culture and some, but not all have a different religion. The Roma are easily identifiable due to their physical appearance, and this had lead to discrimination and repression by both the Greek government and the citizens of the country. As is the case elsewhere there is considerable prejudice against the Roma in Greece. They are considered lazy, dirty and prone to crime. Also, their refusal to assimilate is not well received in Greece's nationalistic society.
It is hard to imagine that the Roma in Greece will begin to engage in militant activity in the near future. They are small in number, unorganized, and have been repressed in the past and have not acted in such a manner, so it is unlikely that they will begin to do so.
It is difficult to determine if the Roma will begin to engage in other, non-militant forms of collective action. They do have the risk factors associated with protest, such as government repression, and cultural and political restrictions, but they have had these factors for a while and no protest has occurred. With Greece hosting the 2004 Olympics, it is likely that the crack-down on the Roma will continue in advance of the Games, and that may be an opportunity to raise awareness to the rest of the world of their situation. When confronted with repression in the past, the Roma from around Europe have preferred to move to a new location rather than to protest their situation. It is clear that prejudice and discrimination against the Roma remains a problem in Greece. As is the case elsewhere, it is this very prejudice and discrimination that is one of the causes for the economic, social and political situation that perpetuates the prejudice and discrimination....
Greece 
