It’s Time for the E.U. to Stop Bullying Greece
But, as the Greek economic commentator Nick Malkoutzis pointed out earlier this week, it almost seems as though some prominent E.U. leaders are determined to exact retribution for uppity behavior by Tsipras and, especially, Varoufakis. “The solution here does not lie just in the Greek side getting a crash course in European diplomacy and being more circumspect in what it says,” Malkoutzis wrote. “It also requires true Europeans on the other side to quash any feelings of punishment or prejudice that are stirring within the corridors of power in Brussels and other European capitals.”
.. It’s too early to predict how these talks will turn out. But for Syriza to be able to sell an agreement to the Greek public, it will need to show that the negotiations have been carried out in good faith, and that a significant break with the past has taken place. If the E.U. is seen to be bullying the Greek government into capitulating, it will spark a public backlash that is likely to end with Greece leaving the euro zone.