The eternal deficit of trust

Whenever the sewage of scandal bubbles up to the surface, those who see this as a weapon with which to destroy their rivals are overjoyed, while those exposed by the revelations claim either that they are victims of conspiracy or are no worse than those who preceded them. Most of us, having learned to trust no one, will believe what we want to believe. The more naïve will hope that maybe this time the situation will be cleared up in such a way that it will deter further corruption. This, however, can happen only when all involved - institutions, politicians, the news media and citizens - are prepared to break the vicious cycle of corruption and cynicism.

Greece has made great leaps since 1821. But it could have achieved much more, with much less pain and blood, if its leaders were less enthusiastic in their age-old efforts to destroy each other. Impressive, too, is how...