A huge part of Cyprus’ financial troubles (in addition to the Greek “hair-cut”) was the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion (a disaster whose cost was about 10% of the country’s GDP in 2011).

The containers that exploded were there at the behest of the US (and UN). Given the facts, the EU (and the Troika) could have cut the Cypriots some slack–perhaps using this as a setoff defense.

The assymmetry of the “negotiations” is not only appalling, it’s frightening.