Can Europe escape the debt trap? Yes – and here's how

Financial markets have successfully demanded the imposition of severe austerity on the periphery of the eurozone – Greece, Ireland and Portugal – to deal with public debt. The markets have also raised concerns about it in the United States, Britain and Japan, clamouring for austerity. Public debt seems to operate like a mask behind which lies a shadowy world of creditors to whose upkeep entire economies are mortgaged.

Euro zone takes third debt crisis patient into care

Portugal and Greece talked up the benefits of Lisbon's decision to accept a multi-billion euro bailout from the European Union and IMF on Wednesday, but the outlook for both countries and Ireland remains highly uncertain.

Bond Vigilantes Ignore Next Stage of Euro Crisis: Matthew Lynn

Greece? Been there. Ireland? Done that. Portugal? Got the T-shirt. For the past year, countries sharing the euro have been going bust one by one.

So where’s next? Plenty of people will point the finger at Spain. Some at Italy. A few single out Belgium, a country with high debts, and no government.

EFSF's Regling Says Reforms Will Strengthen Euro Area

Planned stronger surveillance of government budgets will ease the European Union's debt crisis and lead to more jobs in the single currency area, the chief executive of the European Financial Stability Facility, the euro zone's bailout fund that was tapped by Ireland last year, said Wednesday.

Is EMU Debt Crisis Morphing Into a Euro-Positive Force?

We argue that a key driver lifting the euro has been the divergent monetary policies of the Federal Reserve and the ECB. When investors perceive the European debt crisis becoming acute, it has eclipsed the main driver and weighed on the euro episodically in recent months. However, the increased speculation (and therefore risk) that Greece restructures its debt may be transforming the debt crisis into a more immediately euro-positive direction.