Within his freshly published memoir, titled Ithaki, the former premier Tsipras spares no criticism as he revisits the chaotic period of Greece's debt drama.
A Controversial Choice
In Tsipras's version, he selected that maverick academic Yanis Varoufakis to be the treasury head largely due to his international reputation along with Varoufakis's very persuasive skills as a public orator.
“In reality, he was, truthfully, more like a celebrity rather than an economist,” stated the 51-year-old.
Clashing Agendas
Tsipras alleges how Varoufakis possessed a personal motives which involved promoting his publications as well as experimenting with his own economic models using the nation rather than truly advocating its economic stability.
Tsipras wrote that those discussions to stave off bankruptcy became “not only a way of achieving improved terms for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental chance to prove the validity of his theories.”
Critical Negotiations
Amid tense negotiations, Greece found itself dangerously close to leaving the single currency area.
At stake was not only Greece's future but also those severe austerity measures required in exchange for financial aid from foreign lenders.
Unsuccessful Options
Attempts to find funds from other sources, including a desperate plea to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Assisting Greece was equivalent to tossing cash into the garbage, Putin is reputed to have informed Tsipras during their meeting.
Public Vote Followed by U-Turn
In July 2015, those excoriating bailout terms were subjected to a popular referendum, a move that plunged the EU into further crisis of identity.
Even though the vote was carried resoundingly by voters against austerity, Tsipras was forced but to reject its outcome and agree to a rescue deal with foreign lenders which proved to be even harsher.
Breaking Point
Tsipras revealed how he started questioning Varoufakis relatively soon.
“He was the public image of negotiation, the figure who drew publicity, who graced the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he was enjoying his new role.”
After Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included creating a parallel currency and issuing coupons to retirees, Tsipras said he realised it was the end questioning him: “Can you be serious?”
Enduring Rebuke
In the memoir, the author concludes that Varoufakis had proved himself “unfit for a deal demanding complex and delicate handling.”
Tsipras also wrote how his confrontational style made him increasingly isolated among peers, endangered the country, while helped hardliners who were advocating a Greek exit from the euro.
This account of events has been met with fury along with stunned disbelief among certain groups, while Varoufakis has so far kept a deafening silence regarding these claims.
