Alexis Tsipras kept his promises to the electorate. That’s the only thing that can be said in favour of the defiant speech the Greek prime minister gave parliament on Feb. 8. Almost everything else was terrible – because the pledges he made in the recent election campaign are undeliverable. Athens is now set on a collision course with its euro zone creditors. The government will probably run out of money shortly, and have to impose capital controls within a few weeks. Unless that provokes a change of heart, Greece may soon have to leave the euro zone and bring back the drachma. Tsipras has become a prisoner of both ... (full story)