In the wake of an unexpected election in Greece, old tensions between Berlin and Athens have flared up, a reminder of the stark differences between these two poles of Europe. (Read "Two Cities, Two Europes" in National Geographic magazine.)

With the Ukraine crisis deepening to the east, yet more southern trouble is the last thing Berlin needs. But the new left-wing Greek government, elected on the promise to remove the burden of austerity imposed by international lenders, is pushing for new terms by which to reengineer the country’s debts and obligations.

Greece wants to spend its way out of recession. On Friday, in a last minute reprieve, the government in Berlin—the source of most of the credit on which the Greeks