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Within his freshly published personal account, named Ithaki, the ex- premier Tsipras spares no criticism as he examines that turbulent era during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Choice

According to Tsipras's version, he appointed that unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis as his treasury head primarily because of his global profile and Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to speaker.

“He was, truthfully, more of a personality and less of an economic expert,” recalled the 51-year-old.

Conflicting Agendas

Tsipras alleges that Varoufakis had a personal motives that involved advancing his books as well as testing out his own game theories using the nation rather than truly fighting for its financial survival.

He explained how those negotiations to prevent bankruptcy were “not just a way to secure a better deal for Greece. They were an experiment, an historic chance to demonstrate the truth of Varoufakis's economic theories.”

High-Stakes Talks

During rollercoaster discussions, Greece came perilously close to exiting the single currency area.

At stake lay both Greece's destiny but also those punishing austerity policies demanded in return for bailout funds by international creditors.

Failed Alternatives

Attempts to find financing elsewhere, such as a desperate plea to Russia to purchase Greek bonds, were rejected.

Helping Greece would be tantamount to throwing money in the trash-can, Putin is reputed to have told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum Followed by U-Turn

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

Even though the vote was carried resoundingly by voters against austerity, the prime minister was forced to reject its outcome then negotiate a rescue deal from foreign lenders that turned out to be tougher.

Final Straw

The ex-PM revealed that he started questioning Varoufakis quite early on.

“Varoufakis was the face of the talks, the figure who drew media attention, who appeared on the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.”

When Varoufakis outlined a contingency plan involving creating a secondary currency and distributing vouchers to pensioners, the leader knew it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Can you be serious?”

Enduring Criticism

Within the book, Tsipras concludes how his former ally demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for a deal that required intricate and sensitive management.”

Tsipras further wrote how his confrontational approach left him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, and assisted hawks who were pushing for a Greek exit from the euro.

The retelling of history has provoked anger along with shock in some quarters, whereas Varoufakis has so far maintained a deafening silence regarding these claims.