We have long appreciated and admired Markos Kounalakis for his thoughtful, deeply-researched, and important articles, essays, and books; his journalistic integrity; and the courage, commitment, and heart he demonstrates in everything he does. An award-winning, nationally syndicated foreign affairs columnist, he often shares his analysis on NPR-affiliated stations, CBS, and CNN. He also co-hosts the WorldAffairs radio program and podcast with Ray Suarez, bringing a global context to audiences’ understanding of the world. We had the privilege of interviewing him once before, as well—for NEO magazine back in 2009, when Hope Is a Tattered Flag, a book he co-authored with Peter Laufer, was published. Hope is still a tattered flag, and we are grateful that Markos is still helping us figure out how to create solutions that are inclusive and broad-ranging and global.
GREECE IS THE WORD: Which Greeks—if any, living or deceased—have impacted your development as a professional and as a human?
MARKOS KOUNALAKIS: Author Nikos Kazantzakis, for his curiosity and philosophical orientation to life and the world. California State Senator Nick Petris, for whom I worked when I was at UC Berkeley. Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, who fought in the Cretan underground with my dad and who had an immeasurable impact on Greek politics. My father, Antonios M. Kounalakis, for being both a hero during the Nazi resistance on Crete and an everyday hero throughout his long life.
Who are you named after, if anyone?
My grandfather, Markos Kounalakis.
Where did you grow up, and what was that like?
In San Francisco's Mission District - 20th & Folsom. It was tough because my family (me included) did not speak English. I got kicked out of the first day of school (bilingual education was not a thing back then), so my dad took a day off from his job to impress upon the school (now known as the Cesar Chavez Elementary School) that it was their job to teach me English so I could understand and learn. Through an interpreter, he told them I would learn more than they could teach me. Maybe that's why I eventually got my doctorate.…
What do you think of when you think about your Greek background? What comes to mind?
Family first. The emphasis on honor, love and appreciation of life, and the Golden Rule. A grounded perspective on life and its beauty, challenges, and opportunities.
Who are three of your heroes/heroines, and why?
Playwright and President Vaclav Havel, whom I got to know when I was a Newsweek reporter, first reporting the Velvet Revolution and later living in Prague. Secretary of State George P. Shultz, with whom I got to work at the Hoover Institution, for his stance on nuclear non-proliferation and non-partisan approach to foreign policy. Leopoldo López, Venezuela's exiled political opposition leader, who has become a personal friend for whom I have enormous respect and admiration.
How do you deal with failure? What have you learned from it?
I prefer to learn from other people's failures. That's why I'm such an avid student of history and a reader of biographies. That doesn't make me immune to failure, just better prepared. It also gives me a chance to identify some common mistakes and work to avoid them. When it does visit me, however, I try to assess if it has hurt others - the worst type of failure, in my estimation. If so, I try to ameliorate and rectify any harm done. If not, I spend too many near-sleepless nights going over in my head the chain of events and decision points that led me to a failed thought, action, or approach.
Of what are you most proud, and why?
Easy. My decision to marry Eleni and to have children, our sons Neo & Eon.
For what are you grateful?
I am grateful for every day that I get to wake up, see the sun shine, and breathe a full lung of air. After having been a foreign and war correspondent, these simple pleasures are never things to take for granted.
What does the world need now?
The world needs a broader base of education and critical thinking. With a more educated populace everywhere, we can mitigate common problems and ignorant thinking.
Autumn in Ioannina (Photo Credit: summerphotos/Konstantinos Aletras)
1.
33,800 PLASTIC BOTTLES IN THE SEA (EVERY MINUTE)
“On an island like Santorini, which welcomed more than 3 million tourists in 2019, each visitor consumes an average of nine 1.5 liter bottles per stay.”
2.
LEAD WITH LOVE
Jennifer Anniston is receiving the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award in December. Who are past winners of this award? Oprah, Meryl Streep and Viola Davis, to name a few. She’s in good παρέα, if you ask us.
3.
A LOVE AFFAIR
4.
BRAVO SOU
To the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, Iconem, and Microsoft for this right here.
5.
STONIE’S GOT IT TEED UP
Here’s the latest on the sports front.
With Austria going back into lockdown and Germany and the Netherlands following closely behind as COVID cases soar, we implore you to mask up whenever indoors with anyone with whom you do not cohabitate, even if you are fully vaccinated. You do not know what you may be carrying or how susceptible someone else’s immune system may be to whatever you might possibly transmit. #maskupforothers #itsnotaboutyou #weareallinthistogether
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Opa!
Peter and the Greece Is the Word Crew