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In a recently unveiled autobiography, titled Ithaki, the former prime minister Alexis Tsipras pulls no punches while he reflects on the chaotic period during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Choice

According to Tsipras's version, Tsipras appointed the maverick economist Yanis Varoufakis to be the finance minister largely due to his global profile along with Varoufakis's highly compelling skills when it came to speaker.

“He was, truthfully, more of a star rather than an economic expert,” recalled Tsipras.

Clashing Agendas

The former leader claims how Varoufakis had a personal motives which involved promoting Varoufakis's publications and testing out his game theories on Greece instead of genuinely advocating its economic stability.

He wrote how those negotiations to prevent bankruptcy became “not only a way of achieving improved terms for Greece. They became a test, an historic opportunity to prove the truth of Varoufakis's economic theories.”

Critical Talks

During tense negotiations, the country found itself dangerously close to leaving the eurozone.

At stake lay both Greece's future and those punishing austerity measures demanded in return for financial aid by foreign lenders.

Unsuccessful Alternatives

Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as a desperate appeal to Russia to buy Greek bonds, went unanswered.

Assisting Greece was equivalent to throwing money in the trash-can, Putin is reputed to have told Tsipras during their meeting.

Public Vote and Reversal

In July 2015, the excoriating bailout terms were put to a public vote, an action which threw the EU into a deeper crisis of identity.

Even though the vote was carried resoundingly by those who opposed the cuts, Tsipras had little option to reject its outcome and agree to a rescue deal from creditors which proved to be tougher.

Breaking Point

Tsipras claimed that he started questioning Varoufakis quite early on.

“He was the face of the talks, the figure who drew media attention, who appeared on the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”

After the minister outlined a backup strategy involving creating a secondary currency and issuing vouchers to retirees, the leader knew it was the end and asked him: “Can you be serious?”

Enduring Rebuke

In the memoir, the author concludes how Varoufakis demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for an agreement that required complex and sensitive management.”

He also wrote how his confrontational approach made him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, and assisted hardliners that were pushing for a Greek exit from the euro.

This retelling of history has provoked fury along with stunned disbelief among certain groups, while Varoufakis has maintained a deafening silence regarding these claims.