Game Theory: IMF to Alexis Tsipras: ‘Do you feel lucky, punk?’
By The Guardian, June 12, 2015
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By pulling its negotiators out of talks in Brussels, the IMF is asking Greece to decide whether it can afford to carry on haggling
“You’ve got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” The lines spoken by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry sprang to mind when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it had called its Greek negotiating team home from talks in Brussels.
Up until now, the view in Athens has been that the troika – made up of the IMF, the European Central Bank and the European commission – has been bluffing. The view has been that there is always room for a bit more haggling, always time to cut a better deal that would avoid the need to make the changes to pensions, VAT and collective bargaining being demanded in exchange for fresh financial assistance.
