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Within his recently unveiled personal account, called Ithaki, the former prime minister Alexis Tsipras does not hold back while he examines the turbulent era during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Choice

As per Tsipras's account, Tsipras selected that maverick economist Varoufakis as his finance minister mainly due to his international reputation and his “extremely attractive” skills when it came to speaker.

“In reality, he was, in reality, more like a star and less of an economist,” wrote the 51-year-old.

Clashing Priorities

Tsipras alleges that his finance chief possessed his own motives that involved advancing Varoufakis's books and experimenting with his economic models on Greece instead of genuinely advocating its economic stability.

Tsipras noted how the discussions to avoid bankruptcy were “not only a way of achieving a better deal for Greece. They were an experiment, a monumental opportunity to demonstrate the truth of Varoufakis's economic theories.”

Critical Negotiations

During volatile negotiations, the country found itself dangerously on the brink of leaving the eurozone.

On the line was both Greece's destiny but also those severe cutbacks demanded in return for bailout funds by foreign lenders.

Unsuccessful Alternatives

Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek government bonds, went unanswered.

Helping Greece was tantamount to throwing money in the trash-can, the Russian leader is reputed to have told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum and U-Turn

In July 2015, those punitive bailout terms were put to a public vote, an action which threw the EU into deeper existential crisis.

Although the referendum was carried decisively by voters against austerity, Tsipras had little option to reject its outcome and negotiate a bailout package from creditors which proved to be more severe.

Breaking Point

Tsipras claimed that he began to doubt Varoufakis quite early on.

“He was the face of negotiation, the figure who drew publicity, who appeared on the covers of publications the world over … it seemed he relished his new role.”

After the minister proposed a backup strategy involving establishing a secondary currency as well as distributing vouchers to pensioners, the leader knew that it was game over and asked Varoufakis: “Are you serious?”

Lasting Rebuke

In the memoir, the author asserts how Varoufakis demonstrated himself “unfit for a deal demanding intricate and delicate handling.”

He also wrote that his confrontational style left him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, and assisted hardliners who were pushing for Grexit.

The retelling of history has provoked anger along with stunned disbelief among certain groups, while the former minister has maintained a deafening silence regarding these claims.