Tsoukalas: The world is experiencing one of the greatest upheavals of recent decades

Six months after U.S. President Donald Trump’s election, "the world is experiencing one of the greatest upheavals of recent decades. This shows us either that what he promised could not be fulfilled, or that the U.S. has been led astray and no longer plays the same guarantor role," stated main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas in an interview with Action 24 TV on Monday, in light of the developments in the Middle East and the escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran following U.S. involvement.
"Obviously, pursuing regime change in Iran without an alternative plan is not a sound approach. A multiethnic country of 90 million people could be driven into becoming a completely failed state, with disastrous consequences for both the refugee crisis and global stability. So here, it appears there is no plan," he said.
"We are also waiting to see what will happen in The Hague in the coming days, where a session will be held. There, the U.S. is placing primary emphasis on increasing defence spending by all countries, and this creates added pressure given the current circumstances. There are already reactions to this from countries such as Spain," he added.
Regarding the consequences of the conflict between Iran and Israel, the spokesperson estimated that "a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the broader situation, will impact trade, shipping, and tourism. This implies an increase in inflation due to rising prices and the severe pressure that the economy will face."
He underlined that "what is needed here is resilience and predictability from both Europe and our own country. At the same time, Europe must take an active role toward de-escalation, and our country, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, must exert pressure."
"It seems, both from what is happening at the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai and from developments involving Turkiye - which is gaining strength - that we are now paying the price for a dangerously passive policy on certain issues," Tsoukalas said.

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