Nikiforos Diamandouros, a European political scientist and scholar from the University of Athens currently serving as the Greek ombudsman, spoke about the consolidation of democracy and the emergence of a new system of politics in Southern Europe at the Georgetown University Conference Center Wednesday, April 18.

Diamandouros said his lecture was about a series of three volumes he is currently publishing. He explained that in his research he investigated what the prerequisites are for the consolidation of democracy in Southern Europe, which includes Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece.

According to Diamandouros, a consolidated democracy is one in which there is a basic and fundamental agreement among the major players in a political system about the rules of the game. He also said it was important that there be no veto players, that is, players capable of imposing a non-democratic solution on the system.

He said his major thesis is that in the last 25 years in particular, Southern Europe has undergone a remarkable transformation politically. He explained that the Southern European countries “experienced repeated breakdowns” in democratic government until they became consolidated in the 1970s in Portugal, Spain and Greece, and until World War II in Italy. He therefore feels justified in calling the region `the new Southern Europe.’

Diamandouros also found that “socioeconomic change creates a hospitable environment for political change,” and the “politics of Southern Europe [have] moved,” as a result of a mutually reinforcing relationship between socioeconomic development and democratization, “from being highly polarized to extremely moderate,” although “timing and pace of the change differed according to party and country.”

He also found that `catch-all’ political parties have emerged which appeal to voters from across the entire social spectrum and are replacing the classical mass party model and that marketing in terms of television, personalities, and pictures has become extremely important in campaign politics in the region.

Another of Diamandouros’ conclusions was that politics in Southern Europe do not differ in a systematic way from Western European politics. He asserts the “region has approximated the politics of more mature democracies.” Diamandouros also said, “the politics of consolidated democracies are highly resilient politics,” and are very capable of change.

Before Diamandouros spoke, Serafina Hager, Special Assistant to the Provost for International Initiatives, welcomed the guests. The audience included undergraduate students and members of the etropolitan area Greek community. Hager said Diamandouros would also lead a seminar and roundtable discussion with Georgetown students on the same topic.

Ambassador Loucas Tsilas, a Greek diplomat for 35 years and the Executive Director of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, spoke next. He said that, in terms of educational activities, the foundation plans to bring four to six European professors to the United States each year to speak about “Hellenic culture in a very wide sense,” from political science and international relations to archaeology, music and dance. The foundation’s purpose is to spread Hellenic culture in the United States.

Georgetown professor Samuel Barnes, Ph.D., the director of the BMW Center for German and European Studies, introduced Diamandouros, who received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his Doctorate from Columbia University. Barnes also explained that he has known Diamandouros for many years, and listed some of the many honors and accomplishments the Greek ombudsman has received.

Diamandouros said he was on a mandatory five-year leave of absence from the University of Athens, “since the burdens of being Greek national ombudsman are considerable.” The duties of an ombudsman include investigating complaints regarding faulty administration by government bodies.

Diamandouros’ speech, entitled “From Exceptionalism to Normalcy: Parties, Politics and Democracy in Southern Europe, 1974-2000,” was sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation University Visiting Scholars Program Series, in collaboration with the BMW Center for German and European Studies of Georgetown University and the Office of the Provost.