From “Obama’s Fate Rests in Part on Europe,” Eduardo Porter, NYT:
“Battle lines have been drawn across the Continent between a political establishment that defends austerity at all costs in the name of preserving the euro, and increasingly radical oppositions.
“This kind of political polarization may be a standard feature of financial crises. Economists have noted that such crises naturally widen the chasm between the interests of creditors — like banks, investors and even governments — and debtors, who are suddenly made insolvent by a crisis that takes away their jobs and destroys the value of their homes.
“Creditors push austerity as the best way for debtors to repay their debts. They oppose efforts to write down or renegotiate loans, or to allow higher inflation to erode their value. And creditors, better financed and organized, usually gain the upper hand. Debtors, who are generally poorer, lose.
“This cleavage is evident in Europe, where German voters have staunchly opposed committing more German resources to aid indebted Southern European countries. It is also evident on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have countered the administration’s stimulus plans with proposals to cut public spending to finance tax cuts that would favor the most affluent Americans. The ensuing gridlock has paralyzed policy-making on both sides of the Atlantic. And it could produce a lot of economic damage.
“When Lehman Brothers went bankrupt in 2008, sending the global financial system into a tailspin, its debts amounted to about $600 billion. Government debt alone in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland…adds up to about $1.9 trillion.” Emphasis added.
Embattled Farmers 