If one were to pinpoint one great problem bequeathed by the 20th century to the 21st , that would be the Middle East problem.
The first Gulf War was succeeded by the second, which brought chaos to Iraq.
The hope engendered by the Arab Spring was succeeded, at least in Syria, by a disastrous civil war and by a contest for its belongings.
At the same, Iran is being identified by the US and Israel as the absolute evil.
If one sees all that as distant, one need only consider that the latest act in this multi-faceted drama is being played out at the Turkish-Syrian border, where the Turkish military is engaged in operations against the Kurds.
The Turkish intervention reflects Ankara’s insecurity at its southern border.
That very insecurity and aggression, in the event that things turn out negatively for Turkey, might be vented at its western borders.
The setting is exceptionally fluid. In such rapidly shifting conditions, Greece must strike a balance, which will at once remind the international community of its crucial role as a pillar of regional stability, and at the same time instill in its own people a sense of security.
Attaining that dual objective is viable, as long as there is a clear strategy, without opening multiple fronts and wavering between threatening roars and phobic silence.
