Well, Greece implemented a lot of changes, and it's one of the few Eurozone countries that successfully implemented internal devaluation (salaries halved).
What you call "necessary changes" actually turned out to be "bad changes", and everybody with a grain of salt would say there was no way they could get Greece up again on its feet.
Greece, like many other countries, messed up or not, began sinking after joining the Eurozone. One may wonder a bit before blaming them.
"Well, Greece implemented a lot of changes, and it's one of the few Eurozone countries that successfully implemented internal devaluation (salaries halved)."
I wish more pro-Eurozone people would consider this one. The creditors were very plainly less concerned with getting paid back than they were with waging a brutal class war.
This is a classic principal/agent problem. The Troika negotiators are not playing with their money, they are playing with taxpayer money. Hence the debt is more of an excuse to push for the reforms that their friends want, irrespective of the very real negative effect it has on Greek solvency.
This, if for no other reason, is why the debt should never be paid back.
What you call "necessary changes" actually turned out to be "bad changes", and everybody with a grain of salt would say there was no way they could get Greece up again on its feet.
Greece, like many other countries, messed up or not, began sinking after joining the Eurozone. One may wonder a bit before blaming them.