Michael Thumann
Born in 1962, Michael Thumann has been writing for the political pages of Die Zeit since 1992, especially about southeast Europe. At the beginning of 2009 he was appointed the German weekly’s Middle East bureau chief in Istanbul. Thumann has published several books on the decline of Russia and is a member of the Advisory Council to the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC.
Updated: 30 September 2009
The Greek capital is bogged down in grievances over recession and the country’s loss of autonomy. But further east, in the Thessaloniki region, new business ideas are cropping up – and new hopes blooming. Die Zeit visited the Greeks who are trying to live off the fruits of their own hard work.
The politicians of Europe love to flourish the flag of Community togetherness. But in their day-to-day politicking they give the lie to their supposed virtues. Die Zeit has compiled a cheat-sheet of national egotisms that are harming the Community.