Photo Gallery Deeply in Debt
An ATM machine in Athens: The world's leading economies have long lived beyond their means, and the financial crisis caused government debt to swell dramatically. Now the bill is coming due, but not all countries will be able to pay it.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and German Chancellor Angela Merkel give a press conference on April 28. Germany has buckled to international pressure to agree to a bailout of Greece.
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (left) and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke: At a recent meeting of G-7 finance ministers in Washington, Geithner told Germany's Jörg Asmussen that it was time for the Germans to shed their hesitancy about a Greek bailout.
The government in Berlin is looking for people to blame for the poor management of the crisis, and some are beginning to point fingers at Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.
The Greeks have been holding protests against the government's austerity measures. Metalworkers and candidates for civil service positions took to the streets of Athens last week, and there were further protests over the weekend.
The credit rating agency Fitch: Many are blaming the rating agencies for exacerbating the current crisis.
Current US President Barack Obama has contributed substantially to the biggest American budget deficit since World War II.
Lehman Brothers' offices in London on September 11, 2008: There are fears that Greece could spark another financial crisis.
Prices for gold and silver have reached record highs as investors seek refuge in tangible assets.
