City Research Online

Abstract

The Greek sovereign debt crisis of the 2010s offers a revealing lens through which to examine the dynamics of small-state agency and institutional resilience within the liberal international order (LIO). As a peripheral member of the Eurozone subject to unprecedented external surveillance and conditionality, Greece became a focal point for debates about austerity and the authority of liberal institutions. This article analyses Greece’s trajectory from crisis to post-crisis recalibration to show how contestation unfolded from within the liberal order. It argues that Greece’s challenge took primarily a normative form mobilising appeals to democracy, dignity, and social justice while remaining constrained by the absence of credible exit options.. The article further shows how, following the 2015 confrontation, Greece recalibrated its strategy by aligning more closely with the geopolitical and security priorities of the Euro-Atlantic order, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean. By tracing this sequence from normative contestation to institutional discipline and strategic adaptation, the article refines existing debates on small-state agency and liberal order resilience. Greece’s experience demonstrates how liberal institutions manage internal dissent without collapse, while highlighting the democratic and distributive tensions that such resilience entails.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026, The authors. This is the accepted manuscript of an article published by Sage. Please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions for information on re-use.
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D204 Modern History D History General and Old World > DF Greece H Social Sciences > HJ Public Finance J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs School of Policy & Global Affairs > Department of International Politics
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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