George Andrei Papandreou

George Andrei Papandreou was born on June 16, 1952 in Minnesota, United States. His grandfather and father both served as Greek Prime Ministers. Papandreou studied at Stockholm University, Harvard University, and the University of London. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in law from Amherst University, and in 2006, he became a professor at the Greek Arts and Sciences Research Center at the University of Georgia. He is proficient in English and Swedish. He served as Minister of Education and Religious Affairs twice in 1988 89 and 1994 96, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from February 1999 to February 2004. Since February 2004, he has served as the Chairman of the Pan Greek Socialist Movement and was elected as the International Chairman of the Socialist Party since January 2006. He ran for prime minister twice, but failed twice and was called a political fighter. In 2009, Papandreou fought three times, played the reform card, and ultimately won the election to become Prime Minister. However, he was born out of time and caught up with the Greek debt crisis. On November 4, 2011, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou agreed to resign in exchange for the opposition joining the coalition government. Faced with Papandreou's resignation, British media lamented that the only leader who had the best understanding of Greece's real problems was about to resign. Despite stepping down in despair, Papandreou's resilience, integrity, and determination to avoid national bankruptcy earned him respect both within and outside the party, and the Greeks even affectionately called him George the Younger.