No. 68
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) commemorated the 86th anniversary of OXI Day with a virtual forum on October 27, 2026, titled "OXI Day: Its Significance for the War in the Mediterranean and Beyond." The forum featured Alexandros Kyrou, Ph.D., Professor of History at Salem State University, and was moderated by AHI President Nick Larigakis.
OXI Day marks October 28, 1940, when Greece answered Fascist Italy's ultimatum, which demanded that Axis troops be allowed to occupy strategic points on Greek soil, with a resounding "OXI" ("No"). Italian forces invaded from Albania within hours. By the end of the year, the Greek army had not only repelled the invasion but driven the Italians deep into Albania, handing the Axis its first major defeat on the European continent.
In his remarks, Dr. Kyrou argued that the Greco-Italian War of 1940–1941 remains one of the most overlooked yet consequential events of the Second World War. He explained that the Greek victory was "crucial to the survival and outcome of the British war effort in the Mediterranean." Had Italy conquered Greece rather than become tied down in a defensive war in Albania, Dr. Kyrou noted, Rome could have concentrated a far larger and more lethal force in Libya, giving the Axis a real chance of reaching the Suez Canal in 1941 and overwhelming the struggling British forces in Egypt.
Dr. Kyrou further described how Italy's failure in Greece persuaded Spain's Francisco Franco to stay out of the war. A Spain aligned with Hitler and Mussolini, he observed, would likely have meant the fall of Gibraltar, and the simultaneous loss of Gibraltar and Suez would have been catastrophic for Britain's ability to continue the fight against the Axis.
Beyond its strategic impact, Dr. Kyrou emphasized the ideological weight of the Greek victory. Greece's success shattered the myth of Axis invincibility and exposed the hollowness of fascism's claim to herald a superior New Order. In what he called a modern-day contest of David against Goliath, the Greek triumph affirmed the principle that every nation abiding by the rule of law, however small, has the right to exist and to determine its own destiny in peace.
"Every October 28, the whole world should remember the courage of a small nation that said 'No' to tyranny when much of Europe had fallen silent," said AHI President Nick Larigakis. "Dr. Kyrou's remarks remind us that OXI was not only a defining moment for Greece, but a turning point for the Allied cause and for the democratic values the United States and Greece share to this day. We are grateful to Dr. Kyrou for his scholarship and for helping a new generation understand why OXI Day matters."
A recording of the forum is available on AHI's YouTube channel.