Greece and its Prime Minister, George Papandreou, have been at the center of the debt crisis wracking the eurozone since its beginning. In many ways, Papandreou has become the target of scorn for both Europeans and frustrated Greeks and, after narrowly surviving a confidence vote this past Friday, it is any wonder he thinks himself capable of moving legislation through the Greek parliament given his crumbling support base. The situation in Greece has been histrionic to say the least. A scuttled referendum, defections from the ruling coalition and a confidence vote for the country’s prime minister have done nothing to bolster Greece’s international position and standing with its eurozone partners. Papandreou speaks impressively clear and unaccented English, likely owing to his having been born and educated in the United States. Papandreou is the grandson and son of former Greek prime ministers, his father having founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK, the current ruling party. Papandreou attended Amherst College in Massachusetts where he roomed with his future political rival Antonis Samaras of the New Democracy Party. Further, Papandreou is no stranger to chaos, his family having adapted a peripatetic lifestyle following the military coup in Greece in 1967 so crisis, and grappling with it, are very much in his blood.

[CNN]