The final act of the Greek tragedy being played out in Brussels, Berlin and Athens has not yet ended. It is most unlikely to be much applauded. Perhaps there will be some hollow laughter and sighs as well as groans. Even before the curtain goes down the reviewers are sharpening their pencils to damn the performance.
The leading player, Greek Prime Minister Alex Tsipras, has already been the target of many brickbats and much scorn for his performance so far. As the drama began to unfold many in the European audience had sympathy for the plight of the Greek chorus in their down-at-heel costumes and with their hungry looks, but their leader seemed determined from the opening of the drama to do all he could to alienate the audience and to irritate and insult the other European players.
Tsipras behaved like a spoiled adolescent. He seemed to think that by sucking up to Russian President Vladimir Putin he would show the Europeans that Greece had other friends even if they had nothing in their pockets to give him.