Europe’s Greek tragedy

THE eurozone is unraveling. Each swing of the pendulum between financial infusions and economic strafing for Greece further weakens the unity of the bloc. Some, including Ian Morris, take heart in the belief that the crisis, though painful, is just one of the many obstacles on a path that generally points toward success for the European experiment. Others point to Europe’s economic woes as a proof of concept that merely affirms the Continent’s need for even greater integration.

As a clinician, I see things differently. There are times when those in my field have to make the tough call and conclude that the case of our patient — the object of diagnostic study here being the European economy — is simply without hope. It’s a painful diagnosis, and one that a doctor is often hesitant to share with his or her patient. But at some point, the patient must be told.