Greece’s political trajectory since 2010 has been highly distinctive — and in many ways paradoxical. The country’s various governments have included parties across nearly the entire political spectrum, ranging from the far-right LAOS to the supposedly “radical-left” Syriza. Despite this diversity, successive governments have rigorously implemented one same set of policies, dictated by three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) agreed upon with the country’s lenders, and designed by the infamous troika (the European Commission, International Monetary Fund, and European Central Bank).

The only political rupture that took place was exactly the opposite of that demanded by the powerful popular mobilizations that marked the first half of the 2010s. The Greek people’s vote in the July 2015 referendum saying “No” to the austerity plans was turned into “Yes” by the then ruling Syriza government. It subsequently proceeded to entrench the neoliberal regime that it had earlier committed itself to end.

The results of that surrender have vindicated the predictions of those who had resisted the policies of the MoUs and the political decline of Syriza.