Brinkmanship rhetoric hides cost of Greek euro exit

Within the space of one week, EU politicians have begun talking in a matter-of-fact way about Greece's possible exit from the eurozone, but analysts say the event would involve upheaval far beyond what the casual statements imply.

German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble changed the terms of the debate on Greece last week by saying that he thought the eurozone would be able to withstand the country leaving the single currency.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was...