Leader in a crisis

Citizens look for only one thing when they find themselves facing an unknown, unexpected and dangerous threat: leadership. They want to feel confident that the person who is in charge understands the gravity of the situation, knows what to do to handle it and, most importantly, shares their anxiety. The Greek prime minister did this and more with his address to the nation last week.

Few countries could cope with a coronavirus outbreak, the flaring up of the migration/refugee crisis and Turkey's mounting aggression. Greece is certainly being put to the test and will continue to do so for some time yet.

On a global scale, though, things are less encouraging. We have every reason, in fact, to tremble at what's coming. There was a time not so long ago when global threats were dealt with by the US, its partners and international organizations. That America and the West...