Syriza and the Radical Break
Syriza’s leadership is operating under difficult conditions. How should we interpret its actions, and what would an alternative look like?
That the Greek government blinked last Friday has become increasingly clear. Early reactions of measured support for Syriza’s deal with the Eurogroup have been followed by sharper critiques from the party’s left wing and growing calls for Greece to exit the eurozone, even on the pages of the Financial Times. Perhaps the greatest test came during an internal vote by the parliamentary team of Syriza earlier this week, with roughly one third in attendance rejecting the deal.
The leadership of Syriza is faced with a dilemma that nearly all left governments have faced in one form or another: either neutralize the party’s left wing and continue marching down a path of retreat, or take stock of its failures and begin preparing for a more radical break.
Assessing the Deal
Syriza has agreed to a four-month extension of the previous memorandum, now renamed the Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement. Under this deal, the government has assented to having all of its fiscal measures approved by the institutions (previously called the troika — the European Central Bank, European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund) and hence to not roll back austerity unilaterally.
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