Agora
Posts by Nick Malkoutzis
A pause in uncertainty but for how long?
Is Friday’s agreement at the Eurogroup a good deal for Greece? In some respects it is but in more respects it is not. Above all, the four-month agreement leaves Greece walking an economic and political tightrope over the next four months without knowing what lies at the end of it.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (289), Politics (407), Economy (341), Greece (519)
You've heard the Greek crisis myths, now here are some truths
There are certain truths about the Greek crisis. The main one is that Greece got itself into an utter mess by 2009. This came about as a result of two serious errors. Firstly, at a political and societal level there was an underestimation of the economic rigours of sharing a hard currency with more competitive and open economies, such as Germany and the Netherlands.
Contributors: Nick Malkoutzis, Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Europe (289), Politics (407), Economy (341), Greece (519)
What we've got here is a failure to communicate
Following a chaotic beginning to its first days in office, the SYRIZA-led coalition is beginning to settle into a more stable pattern in terms of its relationship with the eurozone. Those first, faltering steps have left a blot in the government’s copybook that it will be hard to erase over the coming days and weeks.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (289), Politics (407), Economy (341), Greece (519)
Another euro stitch unpicked
If there was any doubt that the negotiations between the new Greek government and its lenders are going to be incredibly tense, there isn’t now. The European Central Bank’s decision on Wednesday night to stop accepting Greek government bonds as collateral from local lenders has minimal practical impact in the short-term but maximum effect in symbolic terms.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (289), Politics (407), Economy (341), Greece (519)
SYRIZA's only chance
“We want people on the streets, we want you to protest,” SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras told the crowd at his last campaign speech in Athens on Thursday. He and his party envision that popular will can be the rising tide to lift SYRIZA in its battle with the troika and struggle to tame domestic opponents. The thinking goes that if the people are visibly on SYRIZA’s side its bargaining position will be impregnable.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (407), Greece (519)