SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Yanis Varoufakis admitted that during negotiations his government did make some mistakes, but mostly in assuming that they were holding "a rational bargaining session."
(Screenshot: CNN)
Varoufakis: Troika Forced Syriza Into Choice Between 'Suicide or Execution'
Former finance minister blasts EU, saying: "No one government should ever be treated that way in the context of a club of democratic nations."
Jul 21, 2015
In his first international television interview since stepping down from his post as Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis toldCNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday that European lenders had forced his government to make a choice between "suicide or execution."
After five months of rigorous negotiations, the outspoken Varoufakis stepped down from his post the night of the Greek referendum. And despite voting against the latest austerity package, Varoufakis said he understood why Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras decided to accept the punishing new terms.
"The truth of the matter is, the very powerful Troika of creditors were not interested in coming to a sensible, honorable mutually beneficial agreement," Varoufakis said, referring to group that represents foreign creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission (eurogroup), and the European Central Bank (ECB).
Varoufakis admitted that during negotiations his government did make some mistakes, but mostly in assuming that they were holding "a rational bargaining session."
"If you look at the way they have behaved from the very first day [the Syriza government] assumed power," he continued, "close inspection will reveal... [that] they were far more interested in humiliating this government and overthrowing it--or at least making sure it overthrows itself in terms of its policies--then coming to an agreement that would ensure they would get most of their money back."
"The truth of the matter is, the very powerful Troika of creditors were not interested in coming to a sensible, honorable mutually beneficial agreement."
--Yanis Varoufakis
And echoing the recent criticisms leveled at the eurozone "bullies," he added: "No one government should ever be treated that way in the context of a club of democratic nations."
Varoufakis conceded that Tsipras "was faced with an incredibly hard choice when he went to the eurogroup summit: commit suicide or be executed, effectively."
"Alexis Tsipras decided it would be best for the Greek people, for this government, to stay put and to implement a program that this very same government disagrees with," he said. "People like me thought it would be more honorable, and in the long term more appropriate, for us to resign."
"But," he added, "I recognize his argument is equally powerful as mine."
Ahead of the interview, Varoufakis published a column on Monday assailing what he called Europe's "vindictive" privatization plan. He also laid out the "Plan B" he had devised for solving the Greek debt crisis, which essentially bundled the country's public assets into a central holding company, which would be controlled exclusively by the Greek state and used to stimulate the economy.
A portion of the interview is included below:
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
In his first international television interview since stepping down from his post as Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis toldCNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday that European lenders had forced his government to make a choice between "suicide or execution."
After five months of rigorous negotiations, the outspoken Varoufakis stepped down from his post the night of the Greek referendum. And despite voting against the latest austerity package, Varoufakis said he understood why Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras decided to accept the punishing new terms.
"The truth of the matter is, the very powerful Troika of creditors were not interested in coming to a sensible, honorable mutually beneficial agreement," Varoufakis said, referring to group that represents foreign creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission (eurogroup), and the European Central Bank (ECB).
Varoufakis admitted that during negotiations his government did make some mistakes, but mostly in assuming that they were holding "a rational bargaining session."
"If you look at the way they have behaved from the very first day [the Syriza government] assumed power," he continued, "close inspection will reveal... [that] they were far more interested in humiliating this government and overthrowing it--or at least making sure it overthrows itself in terms of its policies--then coming to an agreement that would ensure they would get most of their money back."
"The truth of the matter is, the very powerful Troika of creditors were not interested in coming to a sensible, honorable mutually beneficial agreement."
--Yanis Varoufakis
And echoing the recent criticisms leveled at the eurozone "bullies," he added: "No one government should ever be treated that way in the context of a club of democratic nations."
Varoufakis conceded that Tsipras "was faced with an incredibly hard choice when he went to the eurogroup summit: commit suicide or be executed, effectively."
"Alexis Tsipras decided it would be best for the Greek people, for this government, to stay put and to implement a program that this very same government disagrees with," he said. "People like me thought it would be more honorable, and in the long term more appropriate, for us to resign."
"But," he added, "I recognize his argument is equally powerful as mine."
Ahead of the interview, Varoufakis published a column on Monday assailing what he called Europe's "vindictive" privatization plan. He also laid out the "Plan B" he had devised for solving the Greek debt crisis, which essentially bundled the country's public assets into a central holding company, which would be controlled exclusively by the Greek state and used to stimulate the economy.
A portion of the interview is included below:
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
In his first international television interview since stepping down from his post as Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis toldCNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday that European lenders had forced his government to make a choice between "suicide or execution."
After five months of rigorous negotiations, the outspoken Varoufakis stepped down from his post the night of the Greek referendum. And despite voting against the latest austerity package, Varoufakis said he understood why Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras decided to accept the punishing new terms.
"The truth of the matter is, the very powerful Troika of creditors were not interested in coming to a sensible, honorable mutually beneficial agreement," Varoufakis said, referring to group that represents foreign creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission (eurogroup), and the European Central Bank (ECB).
Varoufakis admitted that during negotiations his government did make some mistakes, but mostly in assuming that they were holding "a rational bargaining session."
"If you look at the way they have behaved from the very first day [the Syriza government] assumed power," he continued, "close inspection will reveal... [that] they were far more interested in humiliating this government and overthrowing it--or at least making sure it overthrows itself in terms of its policies--then coming to an agreement that would ensure they would get most of their money back."
"The truth of the matter is, the very powerful Troika of creditors were not interested in coming to a sensible, honorable mutually beneficial agreement."
--Yanis Varoufakis
And echoing the recent criticisms leveled at the eurozone "bullies," he added: "No one government should ever be treated that way in the context of a club of democratic nations."
Varoufakis conceded that Tsipras "was faced with an incredibly hard choice when he went to the eurogroup summit: commit suicide or be executed, effectively."
"Alexis Tsipras decided it would be best for the Greek people, for this government, to stay put and to implement a program that this very same government disagrees with," he said. "People like me thought it would be more honorable, and in the long term more appropriate, for us to resign."
"But," he added, "I recognize his argument is equally powerful as mine."
Ahead of the interview, Varoufakis published a column on Monday assailing what he called Europe's "vindictive" privatization plan. He also laid out the "Plan B" he had devised for solving the Greek debt crisis, which essentially bundled the country's public assets into a central holding company, which would be controlled exclusively by the Greek state and used to stimulate the economy.
A portion of the interview is included below:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.