So the problem is not that austerity was tried and failed in Greece. It is that, despite unprecedented international generosity, fiscal policy was completely out of control and needed major adjustments.
因此问题不在于希腊尝试了紧缩但是失败了。问题在于，尽管给予了前所未有的国际援助，但才政策仍然彻底失控，因此需要重大调整。支出不足从来都不是问题。从1998年到2007年，希腊年人均GDP增长平均为3.8%，是西欧第二快的国家，仅次于爱尔兰。