Euro Deal Reached, but Crisis far from Over
October 28, 2011 / Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff
CNN
Wednesday night's European summit was, well, a very European summit. It lasted forever, included several dramatic moments, ended in the wee hours of the morning and delivered a highly complex result. Yet, the questions that Americans might now ask are quite simple: Has this leaders' conclave succeeded in stopping the spread of the "contagion" from the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis? Will the European financial disease reach America's shores and affect local jobs and livelihoods? The answer may seem somewhat paradoxical: While the Europeans have made strides to beat the virus, this crisis is anything but over.
The Europeans had been asked to deploy a "big bazooka," a weapon so big and so potent that it would force financial markets into submission. There could be no doubt allowed that the "euro-Europeans" (those who share Europe's single currency) would do absolutely everything to preserve the credibility of their currency and restore trust that investments in European bonds remain safe.
In the good old days, a president, a prime minister or a chancellor (most likely male) would have stepped up, made a bold decision and presented it to the people in front of a microphone. He would appear to be determined and convinced that he was doing the right thing. Doubt was neither part of his vocabulary nor his demeanor. Indeed, those were the days of the sovereign nation state.
Image by Sebastien Bertrand.



