Amartya Sen: Europe's democracy is at stake

In "The Guardian" (June 22, 2011), Professor Amartya Sen has a political comment on the eurozone crisis:

"It isn't just the euro. Europe's democracy itself is at stake"

Excerpt:
"Europe has led the world in the practice of democracy. It is therefore worrying that the dangers to democratic governance today, coming through the back door of financial priority, are not receiving the attention they should. There are profound issues to be faced about how Europe's democratic governance could be undermined by the hugely heightened role of financial institutions and rating agencies, which now lord it freely over parts of Europe's political terrain."

Amartya Sen is Lamont University Professor at Harvard University. His most recent book is "The Idea of Justice" (Harvard University Press, 2009).