Between 2007 and 2015, Greece’s public debt rose from 103% to 179% [1] of its GDP (see chart below). The debt-to-GDP ratio rose at an uninterrupted pace, except for a 12-point fall in 2012 following the restructuring imposed on private creditors, and despite the implementation of two macroeconomic adjustment programs (and the beginning of a third) that were aimed precisely at redressing the Greek government’s accounts. Austerity has plunged the country into a …

Following its election, the Syriza government has to face a double fiscal and banking emergency, which is the consequence of the past austerity plans and of the 2012 rescue on public funds of the European banks. A real stranglehold was set up by the Troika and the previous governments, in order to prevent any alternative policy. Breaking this stranglehold is a precondition for implementing a social emergency program. The challenge lies in the choice of …