Ravines and bridges

Greece is threatened by a combination of outside factors and domestic weaknesses. Whereas national consensus would be our best - our only - defense, whenever dangers multiply our hostility toward each other increases. And so, even though no one would deny that the country needs clear heads and stability in order to revive its economy, to deal with Turkey and to handle the migration crisis, our political protagonists invest in each other's failure. This ceaseless conflict would be meaningless if it did not undermine our future.

One of the foundations of our political culture is the fact that we succumb to domestic disputes continually, even to the point of endangering our freedom. We saw this right from the start, in the War of Independence against the Ottoman Turks. The causes of division may change from age to age but one permanent feature is that the protagonists are...