ATHENS — It promised to turn the page on five years of austerity that brought Greece to its knees, but the first 100 days of the radical government of Alexis Tsipras has seen that hope disappear into the yawning gulf between it and the country’s creditors.With the state coffers all but empty, the youthful Mr Tsipras came face to face with the harsh financial reality less than a month after his election victory on January 25 shook Europe.And so just like his predecessors whom he had lambasted for caving into demands from Brussels in return for a €240bn bail-out, he was forced to sign up to a "list of reforms" to stave off bankruptcy.That last-minute agreement on February 20 was only signed after Mr Tsipras made a tour of European capitals desperate to drum up support, and a long telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.Mr Tsipras, 40, had hoped to convince Europe to restructure Greece’s enormous debt, which stands at 175% of its gross domestic product, but other Eu...
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