...more Germans think Greece should stay in the euro zone than want it to leave...

[pampango]

For the first time in more than a year, more Germans think Greece should stay in the euro zone than want it to leave, a poll showed on Thursday, two days after Chancellor Angela Merkel made a symbolic visit to Athens.

The Politbarometer survey for broadcaster ZDF showed that 46 percent of those asked believed Greece should keep the euro compared with just 31 percent in August, when fears about the euro zone debt crisis were more acute.

It is the first time the Politbarometer survey has shown more Germans supporting Greek membership than not in just over a year. Still, a hefty 45 percent said they thought the country should quit the currency union due to its massive debt problems.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/11/us-eurozone-germany-greece-idUSBRE89A0GS20121011

It seems illogical to many of us but Greeks themselves are the most supportive of continued Euro membership.

[lalalu]

1. Never liked the concept of the Eurozone or NAFTA

They remind me too much of the mega entities described in Orwell's 1984.

[pampango]

2. I think that sentiment is shared by most Americans. Of course, most Europeans feel differently.

Their history of nationalism and warfare is different from ours so their decision has been to deemphasize nationalism in favor of openness and cooperation on the continent. The record of peace, prosperity and progressive governance there is much better than it was in the old days.

The EU has had a free trade agreement with Mexico since 2000 and is negotiating one now with Canada. They probably wonder why the US views nationalism and national borders as more important than international cooperation.

[lalalu]

3. Geography may be a big factor.

European nations are more landlocked. They also have a history of attacking each other over the centuries and they could see this as a way to minimize that.

I have a family member from Europe (through marriage) and he still cannot understand why America has so many different laws for each state. Decades later he still finds that amazing