Mixed messages and no progress in Greek crisis

"Germany is essentially the hegemon in Europe, but it does not like being seen as running the show," said Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, a research group in London. And, unlike Syriza, it works hard to lobby support from other countries. Greece’s left-wing government, Mr Grant added, has itself strengthened Germany's hand in pushing for austerity by "“behaving so appallingly" that it alienated countries like France and Italy that were initially more sympathetic to Greek arguments in favor of debt relief and a relaxing of demands for budget cuts.

"This is the tragedy in all this,”"Mr Grant said. "There was a chance to use Greece's suffering to get the Germans to understand that their economic weltanschauung or worldview is partially flawed. But Syriza's behavior has let the Germans off the hook. It rallied other countries around the Germans, because nobody wants to back Syriza."