Co-ordinated by Professor Kevin Featherstone (Hellenic Observatory Centre) and Dr Spyros Economides (European Institute), this cluster brings together researchers from the fields of politics, political science and international relations, as well as from related fields such as security studies, law, public administration, history and others. Some projects currently developing within this cluster include work on Prime Ministers’ crisis management, institutionalisation of evidence-informed policymaking, poly-crises and political trust, regional inequalities and political discontent, and Greece and Cyprus as ‘small state’ foreign policy actors.
Greece’s Reputation as a Western Partner in the Metapolitefsi Era: A Comparative Textual Analysis
Professor Spyros Economides, Professor Kevin Featherstone and Gabriel A. Pierzynski investigate the evolution of Greece’s reputation as a partner and ally among key Western states during the metapolitefsi period. It examines how Greece has been perceived in political discourse and how these perceptions have shifted over time. Using multiple methods of textual analysis, the study analyses debates in the US Congress and in the parliaments of several European countries—including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—to identify patterns of salience, sentiment, and thematic emphasis. By comparing discourse across the US and Europe at pivotal moments since 1974, the project aims to uncover how and why Greece’s reputational standing has changed, highlighting broader dynamics in international alignment, trust, and partnership.