Flamininus frustrates the attempts of his allies, the Aetolian League, to dominate other Greek cities.
At the Isthmian Games of 196 in a spectacular ceremony reported by the Greek historian Polybius, Flamininus proclaims all Greeks in Europe and Asia free and autonomous.
The inclusion of the Greek cities of Asia is meant to subvert Syrian influence.
To lend credibility to this proclamation, he successfully argues against senatorial opposition for the withdrawal of Roman troops from all Greece, including the strategically important “Fetters” (the key garrisons of Acrocorinth, Chalcis, and Demetrias).
Flamininus in reality has ushered them from Macedonian control into the fold of a Roman protectorate.
A cold war ensues, in which both sides claim to champion Greek freedom while negotiating for a realistic diplomatic solution.