"It's not motivated by the intention of some sort of brinkmanship with Europe, but it may have this sort of positive or negative effect," said George Pagoulatos, a professor of European politics and economy at Athens University of Economics and Business.
In many ways, what has unfolded in the past three days resembles cold-war deception and brinkmanship, with some decidedly new twists for a very different nuclear age.
Protecting a surprising unbeaten record against the Victory this season, the Sky Blues will have been on a diet of raw meat all week, and expect some Jacob Burns style dare-you-to-give-me-a-second-caution brinkmanship with the referee.
They're playing brinkmanship with our credit rating.
Mr Hun Sen, they reckon, is engaged in Saddam Hussein-like brinkmanship with the outside world.
Newcastle United appear to be engaged in a game of brinkmanship with Lyon over Bafétimbi Gomis.
The Republicans, as ever, are playing partisan brinkmanship with no apparent thought to the cost of a protracted standoff.
There is little point in diplomatic brinkmanship with Karzai, he is quickly becoming irrelevant to the process.
In its high-stakes game of brinkmanship with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, Greece blinked first.
Just last week President Obama asserted that Congressional Republicans, playing brinkmanship with the deadline for raising the debt ceiling, should emulate his daughters, Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10.
