Greek drama not that dramatic

The BBC’s Malcolm Brabant says the turmoil in Greece is not as bad as it looks and the country’s government is likely to survive: Wednesday’s general strike may have inconvenienced Athenian commuters and provided some dramatic television footage of riot policemen defending themselves against volleys of stones and petrol bombs. But the size of the ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant says the turmoil in Greece is not as bad as it looks and the country's government is likely to survive:

The BBC’s Malcolm Brabant says the turmoil in Greece is not as bad as it looks and the country’s government is likely to survive:

Wednesday’s general strike may have inconvenienced Athenian commuters and provided some dramatic television footage of riot policemen defending themselves against volleys of stones and petrol bombs. But the size of the rallies in Syntagma was embarrassingly small for the trades unions.

If the square had been packed with hundreds of thousands of angry citizens from a cross-section of Greek society, then the government might be looking decidedly wobbly.More telling was the sight of the dawn rush hour, full of private sector employees trying to get to work before public transport shut down and police buses sealed off the thoroughfares.

Revolution? No thanks! Too busy trying to earn a living in a difficult economic climate!

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: Europe

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