Alexandros Zachariades, Research Associate, “Disappearing Act(DISACT)”, University of Cyprus; Research Associate, Hellenic Observatory, LSE
The concepts of permacrisis and polycrisis describe a world of overlapping instability but are rooted in the long-standing centrality of crisis in International Relations, from The Twenty Years’ Crisis to Cold War nuclear brinkmanship. This paper argues that permacrisis is not an exceptional systemic condition but, for small states, a condition of normality. Using Greece as a case study, it examines how systemic crises—from bipolarity to post-Ukraine European security shifts and Middle Eastern conflict—intersect with enduring local disputes in the Aegean, Cyprus, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The analysis shows that small-state foreign policy is shaped by permanent crisis, with limited but meaningful agency within structural constraints.
Meet our speaker and chair
Alexandros Zachariades is a Research Associate, “Disappearing Act(DISACT)” at the University of Cyprus and Research Associate at the Hellenic Observatory, LSE.
Professor Vassilis Monastiriotis is Director of the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus - Hellenic Observatory, Professor in Political Economy and Eleftherios Venizelos Chair of Contemporary Greek Studies at the European Institute, LSE.
The Hellenic Observatory (@HO_LSE) is internationally recognised as a leading research centre on contemporary Greece and Cyprus. In 2024, it became the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus with a strategy to expand its research base within LSE and beyond. The Centre produces world-leading, non-partisan research, critically engaging with key issues and fostering debate among academics, policymakers, and the public. Its work spans academic research, knowledge exchange, and policy impact.
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