Will the two Marios – Mario Monti, the new technocratic prime minister of Italy, and Mario Draghi, the still quite new president of the European Central Bank – save the eurozone? No. But individuals can make a difference. These men bring sophisticated pragmatism to the table. Without that, this flawed structure will not survive. Policymakers must be both more co-operative and more flexible. The economic and political costs of a breakdown would be so large that one has to hope for better. Maybe the two Marios will shift policy in a more productive direction.
兩個馬里奧——意大利新任技術官僚總理馬里奧?蒙蒂(Mario Monti)和剛剛走馬上任的歐洲央行(ECB)行長馬里奧?德拉吉(Mario Draghi)——能拯救歐元區嗎？不能。但眾人拾柴火焰高。二人帶來了相當不俗的務實政策。沒有這種務實的態度，天生具有缺陷的歐元區將無法幸存。決策者必須更具合作精神，同時還必須更加靈活。崩盤的經濟和政治成本是如此之大，人們只有祈禱好運了。也許，這兩個馬里奧會把政策引向更見成效的方向。