Alexander Drivas & Michalis Diakantonis
After the Grexit, the Greek economic and political system is in great shock. The Greek economy faces tough hurdles for the first 8 to 10 months but it gradually recovers, creating a new paradigm of success.
Initially, Eurozone faces separatist trends but Germany’s intervention stabilizes the situation causing the appreciation of Euro. That results to higher European/German export prices making necessary discussions for the designing of a new market area. In South Europe and South East Mediterranean indications for a geopolitical chaos arise (Ukraine and ISIS) forcing EU and US to form a New Yalta Agreement until 2018.
Outline- Description of Greece’s Exit from the Eurozone
Despite the efforts of the European institutions to urge and force Greece to reform and comply with the proposed pathway to recovery, the Syriza government faces intra-party disputes and decides to take “a friendly divorce” with the Eurozone and Euro. Greece’s special geopolitical position makes the US to take initiatives through international organizations (such as G-20) in order to provide assistance on a bilateral and multilateral level. Some staple goods are offered free or at low prices by international organizations and states to prevent a Greek humanitarian crisis while large companies invest in Greece in order to create a new type of Marshall Plan.
Economic Implications of a Grexit in Greece
Grexit will cause a short-term financial panic in the country. Banks and ATM’s will remain closed for a few days in order to avoid bank run while capital controls will be imposed to stop a rush of money out of the country. Thereafter, there will be two possibilities for the Greek financial system: Either the EU will decide to support Greek banks in order to avoid social chaos in the country or it will leave the Greek banking system to its luck. In the second case, the Greek banks will have to operate without the Eurosystem ELA help and some of them are going to bankrupt. For the first weeks transactions will be made in Euros and with the help of credit cards. A dual currency system (euro and a form of digital money) can be applied as the government has to pay wages, pensions and debts to private companies until the printing of the “new drachma” will be completed (at least 6 months).
Inflation skyrockets causing shortages of staple goods and the new currency is devaluated at a percentage between 20-50%. A black market of Euros is created due to the lower value of the new drachma, leading to the creation of a dual-type economy (one for the rich people who hold euro and one for the poor which have drachma). The national debt goes huge but it cannot be repaid and a large part of it’s been restructured. Gradually the bank of Greece applies a loose monetary policy, creating new government deficits in a try to ease unemployment and depression. Finally, after a period of about 10 months, the currency rate and inflation are stabilized and the economy begins to rise again attracting foreign investments, mainly from US and China.
Economic Implications of a Grexit for the EU
Germany has fears of a domino-effect in the Eurozone and is obliged to support the banking system of Italy/Spain with extra liquidity through ECB. In order to avoid their exit from the Eurozone, some countries demand the restructuring of their debts and a loose monetary policy.
The euro area is now stronger and more concrete causing the appreciation of the Euro. European exports are made more expensive posing difficulties for the German industry and hurting the EU’s economy. EU should now seek for new markets if it wishes to avoid the return of the economic crisis.
Economic Implications of a Grexit for Other Financial Institutions
As the largest part of the Greek debt is now in public hands, the consequences for foreign financial institutions are relatively mild. But the fear for a domino-effect causes drain of deposits from European banks forcing the ECB to provide extra liquidity and to bail out (or bail in) some of them. Large financial institutions participate in Greek investment projects in order to take advantage of the cheap Greek asset prices and help the country to succeed in his economic recovery.
Political Implications in Greece after the Grexit
The leading party “Syriza, tries to neutralize the consequences of Grexit and signs its resignation. The fear for the emergence of radical right parties (such as the “Golden Dawn”) remains high and creates a necessity for a new-multiparty government to protect the state from social chaos. After the first months’ economic and political shock, the Greek economy recovers and Grexit starts to seem as a paradox “success story”.
Political Implications for the EU
Eurozone’s members which had participated in Greece’s loaning put pressure and criticize Germany for the billions that have lost. Moreover, some member-states noticing Greece’s economic recovery and examine the scenario of leaving the Eurozone. Thus, Grexit provokes the opposite results than these that Berlin desired. “Podemos” in Spain gains power and radical Eurosceptic parties rise up in other Eurozone states. Germany tries to avoid such a catastrophic development and decides to restructure an important part of the Eurozone’s debt for countries such as Italy and Spain. These facts call emergence for a new European Treaty.
Political Implications for Other Actors
Germany and other members of Eurozone face severe economic consequences and political instability. Making an effort to neutralize the negative developments for its economy, Germany agrees to pursue the US-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This political decision brings the USA back in the front line of the European affairs.
In the meanwhile, ISIS remains the main internal security problem and the Ukrainian crisis continues to take place in the Eastern Europe. For military and security reasons, US encourages France to restore the idea of a Mediterranean Union as a part of EU. Washington and Paris with NATO’s support try to eliminate the ISIS using the Mediterranean waters. Concerning the Ukrainian issue, USA and Russian Federation agree to find a solution which respects the concerns of Moscow in Ukraine and Syria. As an exchange, Russia, agrees to keep a minor role in Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The result of the Grexit seems to open the Pandora’s Box and the agreement appears to be something between a new Yalta Treaty and what Lord Ismay’s claimed in 1947 for NATO’s establishment purpose: “Keep US in, Russia out and Germany down.”
Alexander Drivas PhD, Project Coordinator of “Greece, Cyprus, Egypt & Israel: Opportunities and Restrictions of a Mediterranean Coalition” Project at the International Relations Institute of Athens