The Monocle Minute

Yesterday’s announcement by Greece’s defence minister, Nikos Dendias, of a complete overhaul of the country’s armed forces was long overdue. While relations with adversarial neighbours such as Turkey are currently stable – despite a few bumps, including a 40-hour naval standoff in the Aegean this summer – the nation’s defensive muscle has long been questionable. The reality is that the Hellenic Armed Forces are ill-equipped for the challenges posed by modern conflicts. Stuck in the last century, it lacks the right tools for intelligence gathering, let alone drone or digital warfare. Dendias has promised to bring Greece up to speed and isn’t afraid to trim unnecessary fat. While the country isn’t known for smooth transitions – and the restructuring might prove painful – there are lessons to be learned here. If Greece is willing to do it, perhaps other, more powerful European forces can follow suit.

If the war in Ukraine has taught us anything, it’s that the ability to react swiftly can be more important than the size of a military force. Instead of focusing on enlisting more troops or slashing the age of conscription, the defence minister will start by shutting down 137 “unnecessary” bases. Greece has 800 military outposts in the country – an absurdly high number, given that the US only has about 750 bases spread across 80 nations. Dendias will concentrate on diverting manpower where it’s needed for maximum efficiency. Fresh equipment – including F35 fighter jets from the US and FDI frigates – is also on the way to replace outdated models.

At a time of geopolitical uncertainty (exacerbated by Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House), many European leaders seeking to up their defence game are simply buying more weapons. They should instead follow Greece’s lead: optimise your resources, upgrade your kit and don’t be afraid to get rid of dead weight.

Emmanuil Papavasileiou is a Monocle contributor based between Athens and Rome. For more opinion, analysis and insights, subscribe to Monocle today.

Joe Biden’s farewell tour has taken him to Lima this week, with Peru’s capital playing host to the 36th Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum. Beijing’s growing influence in the region will give the US delegation pause for thought: Xi Jinping is using his visit to officially open a deep-water port in Chancay, a city just north of Lima on Peru’s Pacific coast. The huge Chinese investment is expected to transform trade between Asia and Latin America, a key aim of Apec since the bloc was formed in 1989.

By contrast, the Biden administration’s underwhelming efforts to deepen economic integration between the US and the region have yet to deliver any concrete results, mirroring a similarly lacklustre initiative in Asia. The US president, who will head to the G20 in Brazil next week, will have his final meeting with Xi tomorrow. As the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies shake hands one last time, will Washington’s grip look shaky?

The US has opened a new air-defence base in northern Poland, the first permanent deployment of American armed forces in the country. The base in Redzikowo is part of a larger Nato missile shield intended to intercept a range of ballistic weapons. Its inauguration comes as leaders across Europe weigh up the implications of a new Trump presidency.

While Berlin and Paris might view his return to the White House with trepidation, Mateusz Mazzini of Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper says that Warsaw has a different outlook. Polish politicians have a “deeply rooted conviction” that Trump’s presidency could be “beneficial bilaterally”, he tells The Monocle Minute. As host countries typically foot the bill for foreign troops, however, Mazzini says that Trump might want to use the deal for political capital at home and “brag about the money that he has ‘got’ from an allied country”.

New York is preparing for a bumper week of art auctions. A selection of 19 pieces from the late Romanian-American interior designer Mica Ertegun’s private collection will go on sale at Christie’s on Tuesday, while Phillips will host buyers later that evening, leading with one of Jackson Pollock’s “drip” paintings. All in all, the city’s auction houses expect to bring in more than $1.2bn (€1.1bn) over the course of the week.

But among the O’Keeffes (Wednesday at Bonhams) and Basquiats (Thursday at Christie’s) going under the hammer, there is a newcomer: the banana that broke the internet. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s conceptual artwork of a banana duct-taped to a wall, known as “Comedian”, will make its auction debut at Sotheby’s on Wednesday. First unveiled at 2019’s Art Basel Miami Beach, the fruit has been subject to both praise and stupefaction; it has even been eaten on several occasions. With “Comedian” expected to sell for more than $1m (€950,000), buyers will be hoping that security guards protecting the precious piece will have their eyes peeled.

The 2024 Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize showcasing talented photographers returned to London’s National Portrait Gallery yesterday. The exhibition, which runs until 16 February, features 62 works from 55 international photographers and opened two days after the announcement of this year’s winners. Top spot went to UK photographer Steph Wilson for “Sonam” from her Ideal Mother series. Meanwhile, New York-based Australian photographer Adam Ferguson took second prize for pictures from his series Big Sky, which documents the people and landscapes of the Outback.

We explore some iconic parts of London’s past through London Lost Interiors, a book revealing the great indoors of the UK capital. Plus: a cylindrical example of brutalist architecture, Space House, which has been preserved for future generations.