It all started in April 30, 2010, days ahead of the first Greek bailout , when the Economist shocked the world with its first Greece-themed cover, the infamous Heart of Eurodarkness reprise, "Acropolis Now [5]."
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Ever since then it has been a veritable cornucopia of content for the Economist's cover designer. As the London-based publication itself says [7], "for a relatively small country it is a rare distinction (or misfortune) to make the cover of The Economist. Greece, however, has managed the feat no less than seven times over the past five years. It first made the grade in May 2010 as its sovereign-debt crisis spiralled out of control. Frequent trips back to the brink of disaster have been responsible for repeat cover performances, as has the occasional bail-out or election"
Here is a quick stroll through memory lane of how the Greek fiasco unwound over the past 5 years, as summarized by cover art:
June 25, 2011:
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November 5, 2011:
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May 12, 2012:
[10]
May 19, 2012:
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January 31, 2015:
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... all culminating with the latest, June 20, 2015 cover of "My Big Fat Greek Divorce" which courtesy of last night's latest can-kicking deal may have gotten a last minute reprieve in divorce court, but the sadly "the irreconcilable differences" will always remain, as will the final outcome. The only question for Europe's increasingly unsustainable equilibrium: the date the divorce papers are signed.
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And putting it all in context:
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As the publication summarizes:
"One suspects there may be more covers to come, though not too many, we hope; our stock of available metaphors is looking as depleted as Greek bank vaults."
Fear not: if there is one thing the status quo is good at, it is kicking the can and avoiding reality as long as possible especially as everyone's vaults, not just Greece's, run dry. Indeed, the economist may need to hire more cover artists soon, although we do admit that everyone's creativity and imagination when it comes to Greece is now "depleted"...