On The Odiousness of Greek Debt

Abstract

Sovereign indebtedness has been approached from a twofold approach in the international law literature. The first, championed by international finance scholars, posits no questions as regards the legality of the debt and concentrates on debt management, chiefly, if not exclusively, as engineered by lending states and international financial institutions (IFIs). The second approach examines the origins and legality of sovereign debt and its adherents comprise both human rights lawyers as well as general public international law scholars. It is on the basis of the latter scholarship that the concept known as odious debt came to prominence.