It is often argued, that whatever the case elsewhere, in Greece the root cause of the fiscal crisis can be found in an inefficient state, organized on clientelistic principles, and always willing to cave in to sectionalist demands. Crucible of Resistance: Greece, the Eurozone and the World Economic Crisis (Pluto Press, 2013), written by now Finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos and economist Christos Laskos, contest this approach, arguing that Greece’s exceptionalism is largely a myth: The blame game that has been played by the EU powers is an ideological tool used to shift attention from the realities of capitalist economies.

Crucible of Resistance seeks to challenge the mainstream account of the Greek Crisis and situate it within a broader global context. Tsakalotos and Laskos suggest that a progressive exit from the crisis, for Greece and for the eurozone as a whole, entails meeting head on the limitations of the neoliberal order.

See also: Crucible of Resistance book launch, November 2013; Contesting Greek Exceptionalism within the European Crisis, in: Europe in Modern Greek History (p. 95 - 116), London, 2014