Agora
Posts in Politics
Greek DSA: Don't Say Anything about the debt
The decision by the International Monetary Fund’s Poul Thomsen to raise the issue of Greece’s debt sustainability at the recent Eurogroup in Riga, as reported in the Financial Times, felt like the moment that the adults returned to the room.
Contributor: Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Europe (282), Politics (387), Economy (331), Greece (498)
The faces change, the issues remain the same
Such has been the impasse between Greece and its lenders over the last three month (add a few more on if you want to look beyond just this government’s shortcomings) that markets reacted with some joy to the news on Monday that one inexperienced economics professor is replacing another as the central figure in Athens’s negotiations with creditors.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (387), Greece (498)
Greece is gasping for a deal
The Greek government made another payment to the International Monetary Fund earlier this month. This time it was just 450 million euros, a relatively manageable amount compared to the 1.5 billion that Greece had to pay back to the IMF in March. Each of these payments brings relief that a possible default has been avoided, but they also bring greater anxiety that a default is getting closer.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (387), Economy (331), Greece (498)
Greece and its lenders: Where do you start?
Since it was first recorded in 1944 by American public administrator David Lilienthal, the following anecdote has been told many times and in many ways: A traveller asks a local man for directions and, after much thought, the latter turns to the visitor and says: “My friend, I tell you; if I were you, I wouldn’t start from here.” As Greece and the eurozone remain some distance apart on how to conclude their bailout negotiations, it seems a good time to return to this tale.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (282), Politics (387), Economy (331), Greece (498)
What in the world will we do without barbarians?
Just as the five-year anniversary of Greece’s first EU/IMF programme approaches - and despite marked procrastination in a number of other fronts - Greece’s coalition set up a parliamentary committee to investigate the country’s bankruptcy and the signing of its two memorandums with the troika.
Contributor: Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Politics (387), Economy (331), Greece (498)