Skip to main content

How Varoufakis fell in Schäuble's trap

An example of the wrong way to deal with a high ranking agent of the European Financial Dictatorship


In previous article we saw how the German Minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schäuble made clear to the former Greek Minister of Finance, Yanis Varoufakis, that, actually, eurozone goes hand in hand with the strict discipline to the cruel neoliberal measures.

Now, it's time to examine how Schäuble led Varoufakis exactly where he wanted, by making him believe that he was not afraid, or even, sought Grexit. Varoufakis reveals the characteristic words by the German Minister of Finance, during a private meeting with him:

I was very pleased to hear your PM speak about the possibility of a referendum. This would be perfect! But pay attention. You should be very clear with the Greeks on what are their options. According to the polls, the majority is in favor of euro. You should tell them that, if they want euro, they should accept the memorandum. If they don't want the memorandum, that's ok, let them go on. Let them go on. The memorandum goes without changes. Or, drachma. You should accept the memorandum if you want euro. If you don't want euro, that's another issue. That's why I was very pleased to hear your PM speak about a referendum. You should indeed organize this referendum. And you know, if the Greeks need six months to take their decision after a serious dialogue and thought, no problem. We will fund you for six months.

In other words, the big bluffer Wolfgang Schäuble made Yanis Varoufakis believe from the first moment that he does not care if Greece would exit eurozone. The more he was observing Varoufakis terrified with this possibility, the more he was sure that the Greek government had no plan for Grexit, and therefore, Greece's only option was to accept the disaster of memorandums.

Indeed, Varoufakis himself describes that he was shocked by the words of the German Minister of Finance and responded: "Yet, Wolfgang, as responsible leaders and pro-Europeans we must do whatever we can to avoid Grexit and offer to our people the prospect of a decent living inside eurozone. By pushing them to chose between a destructive fiscal policy inside eurozone and a destructive exit from eurozone, is not an example of enlightened political leadership." Varoufakis tried to persuade Schäuble by saying that Grexit would be a situation that no one could control.

Seeing Varoufakis in a situation of extreme stress, Schäuble 'expanded' his major bluff. He responded: “Then, don't call it Grexit. You don't have to think it as a permanent exit. Think it as a time-out. The way I understand it, you get out for a while, you restore competitiveness through devaluation and, therefore, recover very fast. After a year, more or less, when you will restore most of your lost competitiveness, you can enter again.

After this, Varoufakis was totally convinced that Schäuble was either didn't care or even pursuing Grexit. Therefore, he was ready to obey, as Greece had no plan for a return to national currency. With his major bluff, Schäuble imposed his cruel terms: austerity and sado-monetarism.

With Macron winning in France and Merkel rebound in Germany, the Brussels-Berlin axis will now have all the time to impose the desirable neo-feudal conditions inside eurozone. This is an example of what not to do when you are dealing with the ruthless agents of the European Financial Dictatorship. Their only fear is the break up of the eurozone. Any country who will attempt to escape from the destructive memorandums, should have a serious plan to exit the euro monetary prison.

Comments

  1. Anonymous18/5/17 21:34

    You're making brazen assumptions. Unless you were a fly in the wall in all discussion AND privy to internal discussions amongst the Greek leadership

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

F-35s & AI Chips: How MBS Outplayed Washington & Beijing

GVS Deep Dive  Saudi Arabia just secured two of the most powerful assets in modern geopolitics: the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter and tens of thousands of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips. Washington hoped this would pull Riyadh firmly back into the American orbit. But the outcome is something neither side fully expected: Mohammad bin Salman outplayed both Washington and Beijing — and used the great-power rivalry to his advantage.

Greece, Palestine & Zionism: FPTV Reports from Athens

Free Palestine TV   Laith Marouf & Rabih Ghannam travel to Athens, Greece, and take a walking tour with local activists Evan Katsounis and Maria Kosmidi, to discover the rich history of anti-Zionist and anti-Fascist actions in the city, as well as the current Zionist incursion into the property sector and the counter actions directed at the presence of these War Criminals on the streets of the city. 

Trump RUINED: Israel First Lies & Economic Freefall Just ENDED MAGA

Danny Haiphong   Tucker Carlson isn't the only journalist breaking with Trump. In this video, Patrick Henningsen goes scorched earth on Trump's massive betrayal of what he promised his "MAGA" base and blows the lid off how his massive lies serve as a cover up for a much bigger structural problem in America's 'Israel First' political system, what Tucker and major voices in elite MAGA won't tell you.  

Trump BLEW IT: Israel, Candace Owens & Epstein BURY MAGA (But Not How You Think)

Danny Haiphong   Trump has bent the knee to Israel for the last time. Patrick Henningsen exposes his horrid record and all the elements that has led to his rapidly coming collapse. 

Capitalism & Genocide - Yanis Varoufakis Speech at the Gaza Tribunal, 23rd October 2025, Istanbul

Yanis Varoufakis   On 23rd October, Yanis Varoufakis testified in front of the Jury of Conscience in the context of the Gaza Tribunal. His speech focused on the economic forces underpinning the genocide of the Palestinian people. In particular, he spoke on the manner in which capitalist dynamics have historically fuelled the white settler colonial project and, more recently, how the accumulation of a new form of capital - which he calls cloud capital - has accelerated, deepened and amplified the economic forces powering and propelling the machinery of genocide. 

Varoufakis: IT technologies will overthrow Capitalism

globinfo freexchange The former Greek Minister of Finance, Yanis Varoufakis, ended his recent speech on the Future of Capitalism, at the New School, New York, with some interesting remarks. As he said: The world we live in, is increasingly rudderless, in a constant slow burning recession, while at the very same time, the increasing concentration in the IT sector is creating the new technologies that will do that which the Left has failed to do: overthrow Capitalism. It is really very simple. The moment machines pass the Turing test properly, and you pick up the phone and you do not know whether the person you are talking to is a human being or a machine ˙ the moment we are going to have 3D printers operating as public utilities - you can send any blueprint to it and it can print from one pin to a motorcycle, or to a car - the moment that this happens, we have not just a process of Schumpeterian creative destruction, but we have a process where economies of sc...

Racing Extinction

suggested by failedevolution.blogspot 18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Scientists predict that humanity’s footprint on the planet may cause the loss of 50% of all species by the end of the century. They believe we have entered the sixth major extinction in Earth’s history, following the fifth great extinction which took out the dinosaurs. Our era is called the Anthropocene, or “Age of Man,” because evidence shows that humanity has sparked a cataclysmic change of the world’s natural environment and animal life. Yet, we are the only ones who can stop the change we have created. The Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS), the group behind the Academy Award-winning film The Cove, is back with a new groundbreaking documentary. Joined by new innovators, this highly charged, impassioned collective of activists brings a voice to the thousands of species teetering on the very edge of life. The director has crafted an ambitious mission to clearly and artfu...

Trump Welcomes Syrian Leader & “REFORMED” TERRORIST To White House!

The Jimmy Dore Show   President Donald Trump is planning a White House welcome for Syria’s new president, former al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was installed after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. Jimmy Dore argues that the U.S. and its allies, including Israel, have long funded extremist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda to serve foreign policy interests in the Middle East, so the embrace of al-Sharaa makes sense, even if it might confuse anyone who thought we took seriously the so-called “War on Terror.” He and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger contrast Trump’s willingness to meet with alleged terrorists to his refusal to engage in dialogue with leaders like Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, accusing U.S. policy of hypocrisy and imperialism.  

How The CIA & Mossad Set Up Sudan for Genocide since the 1990s

MintPress News   Sudan is being systematically destroyed - not by accident, but by design. This investigation reveals how US imperialism, through Israeli and UAE proxies, has engineered Sudan's collapse since the 1990s to crush the axis of resistance, block China's Belt and Road, and loot Africa's resources families are killed, children starve, and the west profits. 

Maduro's opening to China

“ Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said he hopes Venezuela will use bilateral financing mechanisms and channel more funds to the areas of energy, mining, agriculture and industry while meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.” “ Financing mechanisms between the two countries total more than 50 billion U.S. dollars, according to Venezuelan experts. Financing mechanisms, including the China-Venezuela Fund, have provided financial support for some 256 projects. China and Venezuela upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Xi's visit to Venezuela in 2014, opening a new chapter in bilateral ties.” “ During their meeting, Xi called on the two sides to push bilateral ties to a higher-level. China supports Venezuela's efforts in restructuring its economy and establishing a manufacturing economic model, he said. Xi suggested the two countries push forward cooperation in the fields of oil exploration, infrastru...