Campus News

The Greek divide

Far-left and far-right political parties in Greece are finding rare common ground through their skepticism of the European Union, according to Ryan Bakker, an associate professor of political science in the School of Public and International Affairs.

In his contributing column to the The Washington Post, Bakker and political science scholars Seth Jolly and Jonathan Polk argue the temporary union of political parties in the Greek ruling coalition does not suggest long-term effective governing.

“(Greek) parties may be able to agree on the EU and corruption, but they disagree on most issues and the coalition is finding it difficult to govern,” Bakker wrote with Jolly and Polk. “With a wide array of Euroskeptic parties, on the far left and right, gaining strength in national parliaments, Greece—and other EU countries—will find it increasingly difficult to form effective governments, so long as this apparently never-ending crisis continues.”