Preventing World War III

There I was sitting in a taxi with Gianmaria, my new business development colleague with ENEL SpA. We were headed to probably the most important meeting I had ever arranged in my tenure as a VP of Development for the Power Division at Exxon-Mobil. The traffic in Athens was typical, the small ancient intertwining streets were packed. I anticipated that it would be bumper-to-bumper traffic and estimated it would take 15 to 20 minutes to traverse the 2-mile trip from the Athens Hilton to the headquarters of Prometheus Gas. We both had given some consideration about walking the route, but it was mid-winter, and as such, it was a little too brisk for me. Not having brought my overcoat on this trip clinched the decision to take a cab. After a hectic morning of calls and a quick lunch meeting, the time in the warm taxi allowed me to catch my breath and calm my nerves. Even with the slow pace of the traffic, I was confident we would arrive at Prometheus Gas's headquarters well before the 5 pm start of the "Ceremony". This was my second multinational- multicultural Joint Venture Agreement (JVA). But this particular JVA was a few degrees of difficulty higher mainly due to the complexities of bringing together four countries from three continents.

As we crept along the crowded streets, I thought about how this was really "My Deal". How I initially made a cold call to ENEL SpA (Enel) to seek new business opportunities. The skill sets of Exxon-Mobil and Enel, two Fortune 500 multinational companies were very compatible. Gianmaria was the one who opened the door to Greece and Prometheus Gas. I brought Turkey into the deal, via a major construction company, Gama Construction. Yes, 4 mega-companies representing 4 different countries from 3 continents all being pulled together by the JVA to pursue a billion-dollar power generation project in Greece. Gosh, I thought there couldn't be that many international treaties with this level of complexity.

Typically, the signing of a multi-company JVA has little pomp and circumstance associated with it, they are usually done in the boring-mundane office of a law firm. But, due to the international components associated with this deal, the signing was elevated to a much higher level. Like my previous deal, the entities in this JVA were all major players in their respective fields. All of the parties had their own respective languages, established laws, and business cultures. Dealing with two languages is common, but having four languages made for some challenging meetings and negotiations.

The parties joining Exxon-Mobil at the "table"; were: ENEL S.p.A. (Italian), Prometheus Gas (Greece), and Gama Construction (Turkey). A fifth party, Gazprom (Russian), although not in the negotiating room, their presence was felt due to their significant ownership in Prometheus Gas.

ENEL is the national electric utility company of Italy and is the second-largest utility in Europe by market capitalization. It had dealings worldwide; in some regards, it was on par with Exxon-Mobil. Prometheus Gas was the primary gas supply company in Greece. Greece, which has no indigenous sources of energy like coal, natural gas, or oil, imported all of its energy. Prometheus Gas was a Greekâ€"Russian joint company, with OAO GAZPROM from Russia, the largest natural gas company in the world, holding a 49% share. Mr. Dimitrios Copelouzos, (aka Mr. C) the Chairman and Managing Director of COPELOUZOS GROUP, held the other 51%. Gazprom through its gas fields in Russia and pipelines crisscrossing Eastern Europe supplied Prometheus with natural gas. GAMA Enerji A.S. was a top three construction company in Turkey, headquartered in Ankara.

For this event, it would be tough enough to remember the names of the key players let alone trying to pronounce them. I had been working with the VPs from each company during the negotiations, wrestling and fighting our way through the languages, customs, and business standards from their native countries. I would say that the negotiations were conducted in a good professional working environment.

But at this signing event, the big dogs, the CEO, CFO, and Presidents of the respective companies would be attending. For this signing event, I could see, or better feel, that several layers of alternative agendas were being played out, all of which needed to be deftly managed. There was no doubt that all of the parties at this dance had hopes that the event would lay the foundation for new relationships along with correspondingly bigger rewards. Agendas, subplots, and motives were played out during the negotiations, relationships were being tested and built.

Exxon-Mobil saw the potential to build relationships with Gazprom for all the obvious reasons of bringing two world-class energy companies together, especially after the fall of the Iron Curtain just a few years earlier. ENEL saw the long-term value in building a relationship with Prometheus and Gazprom for future gas supplies into Italy for its power plants, plus working with Gama would give ENEL a source of cheap, plentiful, and competent workforce for its labor-intensive energy projects.

Having arrived at the "closing of the deal", I fretted that some of these agendas might rise up or be played out at the signing event and I would find myself playing referee.

A second reason for my heightened nerves was the fact that I was not the person in control of this event. Despite being the lead in the negotiations I had very little input in the planning of this event. Prometheus was the host and all the details were being handled by them. Through broken English and inaccurate translations, they assured me numerous times that the event would be well executed. All that I, and the other signatories, had to do was show up, sign the document, and have a celebratory champagne toast. The Greeks have the same statement one hears in the States, "Don't worry we have it under control", which has burned me many times in the past.

For this event, I brought my supervisor the Sr. VP of Development at Exxon-Mobil, I knew he was just dead weight, a career bureaucrat from Exxon-Mobil, who worked his way up the corporate ladder by not "rocking the boat" or "making waves", a required asset to be a long-term employee within the largest energy company in the world. Anticipating that his presence would lead to some kind of a disaster, I provided him with some prepared comments so that he could make the requisite speech or toast at the right time. In his typical arrogant manner, he declined my invitation to join me and Gianmaria in the taxi, thinking it was much too early to arrive at the event. But me being me, I knew I had to get there early enough to check out the setup and make sure everything was in order.

When we pulled up to Prometheus Gas's corporate headquarters, a 15-story modern building, it was pretty obvious that this was going to be something quite different than what I had expected. Even Gianmaria was a little taken aback by the armed security guards on the sidewalks and at the doors. They were hired security police, but they looked like a NYC swat team with their black outfits, bulletproof vests, and black sunglasses, all with the requisite earpiece and standard-issue Uzi. One or two would have been impressive, but I stopped counting at 8 which raised the obvious question, was this overkill or was there a reason for such security?

Once we entered the lobby, it felt like we were in a James Bond or Mission Impossible movie, specifically the scene where they have all the millionaires and diplomats drinking and dancing at an over-the-top ball with a quartet of violins playing in the background. The first thing I focused on was a 5-foot-tall ice sculpture of Prometheus, the Greek God who brought fire to humans, which was next to the 3-foot-tall champagne fountain. There was no doubt that Mr. C wanted to set the tone that he and his company could play with the big boys. My first impression was that they succeeded. My concerns about their ability to handle this event disappeared quicker than the photographer's flashes.

The event was an hour away and yet the reception hall was full and quite noisy with the hustle and bustle of the wait staff, scurrying around in their tuxedos, setting up the bars and decorations. Together it established an anxious and electric atmosphere. This was going to be a more extravagant affair than I had envisioned. I should have known as much, thinking back to an extravagant Greek wedding I attended and the Greek Embassy's Christmas Gala held in DC the previous year. Without a doubt, the Greeks know how to throw a party.

As planned, Gianmaria and I met up with our Greek and Turkish counterparts in a conference room on the 9th floor to review the documents. The paperwork was in order, just missing their respective signatures. At this point we went over the agenda and timeline for the event; to my surprise, I found out that the official signing would occur out of sight in a side conference room on the 1st floor. My Greek host thought it would be inappropriate, per local custom, to sign it in front of the distinguished guests. Of course, I gave no resistance or pushback to local customs, but I had to ask, "What distinguished guest"? They then showed me a listing of those invited to the event; thank goodness it was in English. A quick glance made me a little nervous and mad at the same time. They had invited all of the Ambassadors of the represented countries, along with a slew of high-ranking government officials, specifically the Energy, Commerce and Environmental Ministers of Greece and Turkey. On the second page was a long list of media reps that would be at the event. Despite all these changes and new information, my nerves settled down. Yes, this was going to be a lot different than I expected, but now I knew the game plan, and the rules, everything would be fine.

By now it was getting close to 5 pm, show time, so we headed back down to the lobby which was filled with the invited dignitaries. I spotted my boss conversing with the Exxon-Mobil General Counsel and made a quick line to them. I quietly informed both of them of the special guests and to be aware of the media. With that formality accomplished, I took a moment to take in the scene, it truly was a jet setter party; the only thing missing was Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis doing the tango across the floor (re the movie True Lies).

It had everything from ice sculptures, a flowing champagne fountain, numerous bartenders in tuxes, a string quartet, and lavish decorations. It was hard for my eyes not to focus in on the bevy of magazine cover-worthy servers floating across the floor with trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres. They made a stark contrast to the security guards throughout the room decked out in their black suits, and sunglasses, and talking into their microphones hidden in their shirt cuffs. I noticed that this group of security guards had checked their Uzis at the door, but no doubt they had some kind of armor under their sports coats. By the time I was able to get my hands on a Stella Artois, I realized the expansive three-story lobby was now filled to elbow-room-only status.

As the lead developer for Exxon-Mobil, I worked the crowd and helped introduce my relatively introverted boss to the various partner equivalents. Awkward would be an understatement for these brief encounters. By now the event had grown into a full-blown party, and the string quartet stepped up their repertoire from background music to a more upbeat, entertaining fare. The atmosphere and drinks were loosening up what was initially an uptight audience.

At the appointed time, Gianmaria and I herded our bosses/colleagues into a side conference room and signed the JVA as the hired photographer took numerous celebratory pictures. When we came out to the lobby, the attendees were somehow keyed into our absence and were all smiling and responded with a polite round of applause. Quite a feeling for this boy raised in the "sticks" of northeast Pennsylvania.

At this point, Mr. C waved to his many friends and colleagues and made some statements in Greek to bring the crowd together. Then from behind the three-story stairwell the Archbishop of Athens, and as such the primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece, stepped forward. He was dressed in traditional clerical clothes with a black under cassock, a black riassa with very wide sleeves, a 'chimney-pot' style hat, and the traditional untrimmed beard. His presence brought the jovial crowd to a deadpan silence. He spoke some words of what I assumed was a blessing and those in the crowd gave what I guessed was a Greek "Amen". With that, the party was launched. It truly was a sight to see, a sight to be part of, and to think I played a major role in all of it.

The room was filled with what some would call the "A" list crowd of Athens's business world. The movers and shakers of Athens, and all of Greece, were in the room: bankers, developers, and high-level government officials.

After a few moments, I could see that there were small cliques of Greeks, Americans, Italians, and Turks beginning to form. I don't know why, but I instinctively knew this was not good. Something had to be done or this event would turn into a dull, uneventful evening of bureaucrats blathering, rather than a memorable party of four international companies.

For some reason, the Turkish and Greek cliques had gathered along the Eastern wall of the lobby with a distance of 20 feet between them. On this wall was a two-story tall 20-foot-long mural of an ancient battle. Much akin to the giant mural one would see in the Rockefeller Building in NYC. It was not something you would miss as you entered the lobby, but its complexity, or intricacy, made it easy to ignore. It was one of those paintings that you had to stop and focus on it to understand it. I walked away from my boss and colleagues and started to walk towards the Greek group, which was composed of my counterparts and at least a dozen dignitaries. For a moment I paused and stared at the mural, it was a view I had seen a dozen times before, but now I began to realize what it was about.

Being a key figure at this event, there were more than just a few eyes following me, especially from my Italian colleagues who seemed a little out of place at the event. They seemed to be seeking clues or hints from me as to what to do next. I guess my staring at the mural by myself also caught the attention of Mr. C and his business friends and they stepped over to me.

I asked Mr. C if he could explain the mural. This stately-looking man with classic Greek looks started to explain to me, and the small crowd around him about the painting. How it captured a significant piece of Greek history. In perfect English, he stated that it was a reproduction of a famous painting from the Middle Ages when Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire during the Middle Ages and that it was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe. Pointing at the picture he explained how the Greeks held back the invading Ottoman-Muslim Empire from entering Constantinople and preserving it as the center of Western religion.

Like most paintings from that era, it graphically illustrated the battle with many dead and bloodied warriors lying at the feet of the massive wall that was built to protect the city. He explained how Constantinople was eventually lost to the Muslim empire and eventually renamed Istanbul in the 20th Century by the father of modern Turkey, Mohamed Ataturk. Having been a little bit of a history buff myself, I spewed out a series of questions. He gladly responded and was somewhat impressed by my knowledge of the city.

The conversation ran dry so at the appropriate pause I excused myself and made a few side steps to get another Stella. On my return path across the breadth of the mural, I poked myself into the clique of Turks. They too were admiring the painting but of course, speaking in Turkish.

My counterpart within Gama was Sakir, he was much older than me but always seemed to be lighthearted and a straightforward person to get along with. Playing the role of a dumb American I asked him to explain to me his assessment of the mural. He and his colleagues gladly jumped in. Several of them, in unison, began to proudly exclaim that this was a famous painting depicting how the Ottoman Empire conquered the Byzantine capital and its Greek emperor Constantine. They pointed out to me the Ottoman soldiers in the painting being led by Sultan Mehmed II and the details showing how the Turks broke through the century-old fortification walls. Their description was filled with more details than how my Greek counterparts offered up. I found it quite interesting that their interpretation was 180 degrees different than the Greek's.

Honestly, to me, it was hard to tell from this painting who was winning and who was losing, and of course, the obvious question would be "Why would a painting of a defeated Greek army be in the lobby of a Greek company"? With these two different explanations swirling in my head, I decided to play International Peacemaker.

But before I go further into my attempt at international peace negotiations, a little background information is needed.

The Greeks are a very proud ancient culture. They routinely proclaim that they are the founders of Democracy and modern capitalism. Think: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aesop, Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Archimedes, Aristarchus, Euclid, Hippocrates, Pythagoras, Draco and Alexander the Great, the list goes on and on. No matter what the subject: math, physics, astronomy, literature, playwriters, or military heroes the Greeks felt they invented it, and thus owned it.

Despite all this historical lore, for the most part, the Greek people I met had an inferior complex to the Romans and an ingrained hatred for the Turks. Generally, any dinner or lunch conversation with the Greeks always drifted in some way to how they relished their historical accomplishments but seemed dismayed by their current, diminished, role in world affairs.

My Turkish counterparts seemed to be at the opposite end of the spectrum. The modern age was their era, they were the only democracy in the Muslim world and very proud of it. With a growing population of over 60 million and a dynamic economy, they believed they were just one or two steps away from joining the European Union. The potential, the future of Turkey is what was discussed when you had a lunch or dinner with Turks, rarely would they delve into the past.

AND IT CANNOT BE FORGOTTEN THAT underlying all of this was the historical fact that the Turks and Greeks had a very long history of being at war with each other.

Whether it was the historic Battle of Thermopylae, led by King Leonidas from the fabled city of Sparta or the 6-week siege that led to the fall of Emperor Constantine and the city of Constantinople in the Middle Ages, the history books of both nations were filled with numerous descriptions of brutality and savagery between the two nations. Thankfully there had been relative stability between these two countries since the Middle Ages, only interrupted by two world wars. The latter where Turkey allied itself with Germany and Greece was overrun by the Germans.

Again as background, one of the outcomes of the First World War was that the island nation of Cyprus was annexed by the British Empire. But both Greece and Turkey laid claim to this desert island, which was strategically situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
After WWI there was a series of demonstrations, coup d'état and eventually an invasion of the island by Turkish troops. The island was eventually split down the middle between the Turks and Greeks. This bifurcated country was formalized by the UN in the late 60s and relative calm reigned for a few decades.

However, in 1994, just five years earlier, the EU officially confirmed that the Greek-controlled portion of Cyprus would be included in the EU's next phase of expansion and not the Turkish part nor Turkey itself.

These actions didn't just stir the pot, it lit the fuse. The situation then escalated, so by 1997-8, the Greek Cypriots announced that they would begin to install Russian anti-aircraft missile systems. This inflamed the Turks and led to a lot of saber-rattling between the two nations.

During this time, Turkey routinely sent its warships to that area and sent additional arms to their side of the island. Needless to say, due to the Cyprus issues, any and all commercial trade between the Greeks and Turks had ended by 1998. For all intentional purposes in the late 90's these nations were like China and the USA in the 1950s & 60s, basically there was no formal or informal communications between the two.

All of this historical baggage between the Greeks and Turks was not lost on me during the negotiations of the JVA. Yes, there always seemed to be a little tension in the air at the meetings, but professionalism ruled, and the negotiations didn't take long to complete.
I found it interesting that the Italians, the Roman Empire, which had its fair share of conquering and ransacking of these two countries sat idly by in the negotiations. What I would have thought would have been a common enemy for the Greeks and Turks was never raised in the conference rooms or at dinners.

So here I was, standing in the massive three-story lobby of Prometheus Gas at the foot of a historic mural depicting a battle between the Greeks and Turks and surrounded by Turks, Greeks, Italians, and a few Russians thrown in just for the fun of it. With the Greek and Turkish versions of the mural still in my head I strategically positioned myself about 5 feet between the Greek and Turkish contingents.

More on instinct, than having any real plan, I made a bold move and stepped over to the Greek group and said, "I have a problem Mr. C, your version of this magnificent mural is quite different than what my esteemed friends from Turkey have described." Before my Greek friends could react, I waved to Sakir and his Turkish colleagues to come over and help answer a question for me. I announced across the lobby, "Sakir come on over here and help me with a question and bring your Turkish friends too". The message was heard throughout the whole lobby and as the Greek and Turkish groups came together you could feel that the eyes of the 200 or so guests were on me and the two groups. There was some additional handshaking and introductions, and then I said, "Let's have a quick toast to thank our hosts". Everyone made a small gesture of approval and took a small sip from their glasses. Then Mr. C made a follow-up toast stating, "I believe this JVA will be the beginning of many business deals between Greece and Turkey". Gama's CEO Mr. Pentpangilio stepped in and made a complimentary toast and by now the entire lobby was joined around us, including my boss and the Ambassadors from all four countries.

Maybe it was the alcohol or the top shelf setting or just the simple fact that most of those in the room were astute businessmen, but if there was any underlying nationalistic tension in the room it was gone with those toasts. As the servers stepped in to refill and replace the empty glasses, for just a moment there was a sense of calm or silence. But, at that moment Gianmaria announced from about 4 feet away "What was the question I had for Sakir?" With all eyes back on me, I stepped into the middle of the crowd and said "Sakir, my Greek friends say that this mural is a picture illustrating how the heroic Greeks held back the invading Ottomans at the walls of Constantinople, but you say this mural represents the Ottomans conquering of Constantinople, come help me understand this".

There it was, out in the open for all of the top movers and shakers in Greece to see, this was going to be one of my greatest faux pas or it would be a catalyst to bring these two nations closer. There was some laughter, but Sakir stepped to my right side and said, "Let me help explain this mural to my dear American friend", while my Greek colleague, not wanting to be overshadowed, stepped to my left side and the two of them began to point to areas of the mural and explain what was going on. I played the dumb American (which I can be pretty good at). The two, with help from their CEOs, then explained to me, and each other, how the painting really represented both points of view. It was the perfect issue, with the right timing to blend these two companies, dare I say two countries, and build a level of trust among them.

The party carried on for another 30 or so minutes. As it came to an end, my adrenalin was winding down and I was feeling physically tired (probably from the jet lag). I said my goodbyes and stepped out into the cold Greek night to catch a cab. One of the car attendees summoned a cab and as it approached, I noticed the security guards still at their stations with their Uzis. I thought the evening was a big success, but now it was time to move on to the next flight, the next meeting and continue the endless travel of an international businessman.

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Normally that would be the end of a good story, conquering centuries of distrust and animosity was enough for one night. But in reality, this was just the prelude.

It was about 6 months later that I found myself back in Turkey; it must have been my 20th trip in the last 3 years. I had a layover weekend in Europe, so I spent it in Istanbul. With a free day, I took a trip with my translator down the western coastline of the Asian side of Turkey. We stopped in towns with names like Izmit, Bandirma and Bursa. We also stopped in Gezbe for lunch and returned to Istanbul for dinner. It was a nice day trip to get myself more acquainted with Turkey, its towns, its people, and its growing economy. I left on Sunday night for Athens for a meeting on Monday with all the JVA partners.

I arrived at Athens's old and quite antiquated international airport on the afternoon flight and grabbed a cab to head to the Athens Hilton. I freshened up and had a traditional dinner with some of my Prometheus Gas colleagues; it finished around 11 pm, because no respectable Greek dinner ever starts before 9 pm. As I got back into my room I stepped out to the balcony, I had totally forgotten that there would be an eclipse of a full moon that evening. I was fortunate to catch this celestial phenomenon at the perfect time.

Standing on the balcony overlooking Athens with the historic and world-renowned Acropolis in the background I watched the eclipse. It was a rare moment when I realized that sometimes international travel had its advantages.

The next day I woke up and turned on the TV to see a steady stream of newscasts reporting on a bad earthquake. Since I didn't understand a word of Greek, (no pun intended) I tuned to a BBC channel that was reporting a 7.4 earthquake in Turkey that was centered near the city of Izmit. Wow, I was there just yesterday!

I called my translator in Turkey, but the TV was reporting that the damage had spread as far as Istanbul. The electricity and phone lines were down throughout a good part of Istanbul. Over the next few days, the impact of this disaster became clear, over 17,000 had died!

By all measures a very tragic event. However, there was one very bright silver lining that came out of this disaster. Knowing that our Turkish colleagues had other issues to attend to, I called my Greek counterparts, and we canceled our meeting that day. On that phone call, we both agreed we would look into ways to help get aid to Turkey. There is no record of it, but surely behind the scenes Mr. C and his team immediately reached out to various Greek agencies and pushed them to help Turkey.

In fact, Greece was the first foreign country to publicly pledge aid and support to Turkey! Within hours of the earthquake, key government officials in Greece contacted their counterparts in Turkey. Rescue teams, rescue dogs, medical teams, medical and blood supplies along with basic stables were marshaled up by the Greek government and its people and immediately sent to Turkey. The press in both nations provided wide coverage of the generous outpouring of aid from their neighbor.

Considering that just a few months earlier both countries were seriously ramping up military operations by delivering missiles and mobilizing troops for an inevitable engagement on the divided island nation of Cyprus. This was truly an amazing change of events.

Sadly, less than 6 weeks later Mother Nature played a cruel hand by delivering a 5.9 earthquake centered in the suburbs of Athens. Although the death toll was a fraction of the Turkish quake, but a tragedy nonetheless with 143 people killed and almost 12,000 reported injured or left without a home. Yet, despite struggling with its own recent disaster, the Turks rose to the occasion and reciprocated in kind by sending rescue teams and medical supplies to Greece.

The media in both countries and throughout the world gave very positive reports on the assistance between the two countries, they even dubbed it "Earthquake Diplomacy". The goodwill created by these two tragedies opened a new chain of communications between these ancient warring countries.

To some, they would say it is quite a stretch of my imagination to believe that my role as the "dumb American" in front of the mural had anything to do with the strengthening of ties between these countries. But factually in 1998-99, the tensions between these countries were very real, Greece and Turkey were one short step away from war. And despite having adjoining borders and some of the world's best tourist attractions, during those years, Turks did not visit Greece and Greeks did not visit Turkey.

Clearly, well at least in my mind, the relationships, whether it was between the Ambassadors, CEOs, high-level government officials, lawyers, and bankers, I believe that the JVA signing ceremony played a role in these two countries working together to provide aid to one another.

So to those who say my claim of being an "International Peacemaker" is bombastic or pretentious, to them all, I say B_ll Sh_t! In the world of business development, I have seen many others take credit for successes for which they had little to no contribution.

I am convinced that I laid the foundation to mend the relationship between two ancient powers, countries that had been at odds for centuries, and dare I say, I probably prevented World War III.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.