The fascinating true story behind In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis

In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis is a 2024 documentary series that explores how Greek economist and politician Ioannis Georgiou "Yanis" Varoufakis tackled the infamous debt crisis faced by his country, Greece.

The six-part documentary series retells the true story of Yanis Varoufakis' transition from an academic economist to that of a major political dissident in 2015. In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis is heralded as a story of the battle between European economic hegemony and Varoufakis. Acclaimed political commentator Slavoj Zizek has praised the documentary as a "work of art," while Hot Docs has called it a "masterclass in economics."

The official synopsis of In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis reads:

"In the Eye of the Storm is a six-part documentary series about one of the foremost intellectuals and political figures of our age, the maverick Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis."

The documentary was released on Apple TV+ on March 4, 2024, with all six episodes available for streaming in one go. The insightful documentary is also available for rent or purchase on other streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Vimeo, and Google Play.

---

In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis chronicles his struggle to improve Greece's economic turmoil and expose the misuse of power at the highest levels of governance

Yanis Varoufakis Launches Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (image via Getty)

Yanis Varoufakis is one of the most trailblazing economists and political figures in the contemporary political scenario. The documentary throws light on the infamous economic crisis Greece has faced since 2008. The crisis culminated in a melting point in 2015 when the nation defaulted on a payment of €1.6 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Yanis Varoufakis was elected to the Greek Parliament in January 2015 as a member of the left-wing party Syriza. He held office until July 2015, when he resigned from his post. He held radical views on how to solve Greece's ongoing economic crisis, which left the nation in deep debt to the IMF, the European Commission (EC), and the European Central Bank (ECB).

As per Forbes, Greece required major budget changes, including expenditure cutbacks and increased tax collections, were in need to receive bailouts of €289 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other European creditors. August 2012 saw a 25.7% unemployment rate due to these austerity measures that started a vicious cycle of recession in the nation.

---

In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis delves into how he was a major voice against austere bailout terms presented by IMF, EU, and the ECB

Yanis Varoufakis negotiated a deal with the IMF, EC, and ECB (often termed the Troika by him) where he wished to extend the term of the loan these institutions gave to help stabilize the Greek economy. However, he vehemently opposed further loans from these institutions, which would lead to further restrictions on the Greek economy and make the stabilization process more prolonged.

Varoufakis viewed the Troika as a repressive economic mechanism that used these loans as a debt-trap mechanism to make Greece accede to their economic restrictions. However, when the Greek Prime Minister accepted the bailout terms by Troika in July 2015, Yanis Varoufakis decided to resign from his post as Economic Minister.

A powerful quote by Varoufakis from In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis reads:

"Economics is not a science, but an ideology weaponized to defend the powerful."

---

The documentary portrays Yanis Varoufakis' predictions about the rise of the far-right and the threat to democracy on a global scale

Varoufakis argued that the fate of Greece was one thread in the web of a precarious global system. He is one of the most respected commentators on the fall of the European Union. He argues that the Greek crisis and the crumbling EU system are indicators of a fallacy on a global scale.

In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis showcases Varoufakis' points on how the rise of capitalism has led to the rise of austerity measures on economies, leading to both economic and political upheaval. He links these to how the highest levels of governments across nations use imploding capitalism as a measure to consolidate their power. He pointed out the unprecedented rise of fascism across nations and how the threat to democracy is looming larger than ever.

---

In the Eye of the Storm - The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis is available for streaming on Apple TV+.