Since the beginning of the economic crisis, a considerable part of the Greek left has argued that the only realistic alternative for the country is to default on its debts, exit the eurozone, and start printing its own currency.

Freed from Europe’s monetarist prison, the argument runs, Greece would be in a better position to radically restructure its economy in anti-capitalist directions. Such a prospect requires a well-thought-out and detailed “Plan B” in order to confront the enormous challenges that would follow.

The response from those who disagree has three main thrusts. First, it calls attention to the humanitarian disaster that would occur in an already devastated society in the event of a Grexit. Second, it raises doubts over whether such a move would truly be anti-capitalist. And finally, it finds hope in the possibility of a reformed European political landscape, with the rise of an anti-austerity left led by Syriza and bolstered by political change in Spain and elsewhere.