About Greece: In the years of the Olympic Games

"About Greece" contains useful information on contemporary Greece. The aim of this volume is not to praise the country but rather to present an objective overview. Moreover, this is a precondition for the involvement of the Laboratory of Political Communication of the University of Athens. For each topic we relied upon authors who we knew would be able to present a justified analysis.  We thank all of them warmly, for their collaboration and for the quality of their cotribution. I am grateful to the General Secretariat of Information, and notably its diligent staff, whose co-operation was impeccable.

TO the extent which the cover illustration of this volume had to reveal something immediate and complete about the country, I believe the choice of the work of Panagiotis Tetsis was the best possible one. I wish to express my gratitude both to the painter and the National Gallery for permitting us to use a part of this painting, "Likofos" (Twilight).

My colleagues at the Univerisity of Athens, Associate Professor in Political Sociology Michalis Spourdalakis, and Professor in Public Law Charalambos Chrysanthakis cotributed their expertise during every stage of the project. Both I thank them.

I would also like to thank all those individuals who graciously took the time to provide us with comments of the first edition.

Finally, my thanks are due to Anthony Bacaloumis, educationalist - research fellow at the Laboratory of Political Communication at the University of Athens, for his invaluable assistance in coordinating the entire project as well as editing.  Professor A-J. D. Metaxas, Director of the Laboratory of Political Communication at the University of Athens