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Within his newly released memoir, named Ithaki, the ex- premier Alexis Tsipras pulls no punches as he revisits the turbulent period during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Choice

In the ex-PM's version, Tsipras selected that unorthodox academic Varoufakis to be the finance minister primarily because of his international reputation along with Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” abilities as a communicator.

“In reality, he was, truthfully, more of a star rather than an economist,” recalled the 51-year-old.

Conflicting Agendas

The former leader claims that Varoufakis had a personal motives that included promoting his publications as well as experimenting with his own theories on the nation rather than truly advocating the country's economic stability.

Tsipras wrote how those talks to avoid insolvency were “not just a way of achieving improved terms for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental chance to prove the truth of Varoufakis's theories.”

High-Stakes Negotiations

During rollercoaster negotiations, Greece came dangerously on the brink of exiting the eurozone.

At stake was both Greece's destiny but also those punishing austerity measures required in exchange for financial aid from international creditors.

Unsuccessful Alternatives

Efforts to secure funds from other sources, including an urgent appeal to Russia to buy Greek government bonds, went unanswered.

Assisting Greece would be tantamount to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader reportedly told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Public Vote Followed by Reversal

That summer, those excoriating bailout terms were put to a public vote, a move that threw Europe into deeper existential crisis.

Although the vote was won decisively by voters against austerity, the prime minister was forced to reject its outcome and agree to a bailout package from creditors which proved to be tougher.

Breaking Point

Tsipras claimed that he started questioning his finance minister relatively soon.

“Varoufakis was the public image of negotiation, the figure who drew publicity, who graced the covers of publications globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”

After Varoufakis proposed a backup strategy involving establishing a parallel currency and distributing vouchers to retirees, Tsipras knew that it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Is this for real?”

Lasting Criticism

In the book, the author asserts how his former ally demonstrated himself “unfit for a deal that required intricate and delicate management.”

He also claimed that his aggressive approach left him more and more alone with colleagues, endangered the country, and helped hawks that were advocating a Greek exit from the euro.

This account of history has been met with anger along with shock among certain groups, while Varoufakis has maintained a deafening silence regarding these claims.