????歐洲避免債務災難的機會正在迅速消失。隨著10月份最后期限的日益臨近，希臘終于在上周末同意大幅削減預算，以求獲得110億美元得救助資金。希臘債務不斷攀升，如果沒有這些救助資金，違約將在所難免。

????救助希臘已經演變成了一場代價高昂的亂局，于是官員們提出了“有序違約”的主意。德國財長菲利普?羅斯勒就公開表達了這一觀點。顯而易見，提到破產純粹只是為了安撫全球投資者。

????德國總理默克爾對BBC新聞稱，歐元區國家必須團結一致，目前還沒有任何方法可以讓希臘以軟著陸的方式違約。默克爾可能一直在試圖減輕投資者的憂慮，但現在大多數人已經看清了事實真相：雖然希臘尚未正式宣布破產，但該國已經開始為其所希望的有序違約做準備。

????有序違約相當于債務重組，也就是債權人接受部分損失，同時債務人同意償還大部分債務。7月份，歐盟領導人同意了金額超過1,500億美元的希臘救助計劃，以幫助希臘滿足今后幾年的融資需求。該計劃的一個關鍵內容（尚待最后批準）是債券掉期交易。在這一交易中，希臘債務負擔得以減輕，同時該國私營部門的債權人同意接受價值低于原先所持債券的新債券。

????此前，曾有其他國家成功實現有序違約的先例。那么，希臘、愛爾蘭、意大利和其他陷入麻煩的歐元區國家是否也能做到呢？從普遍飆升的歐洲外圍國家國債收益率來看，這似乎不太可能。

????發展中國家曾經實現了有序違約。比如，上世紀80年代晚期和90年代早期，由于拉丁美洲國家屢次貸款違約，為了減輕他們的債務負擔，布雷迪債券（Brady bonds）應運而生。

????烏克蘭和巴基斯坦也曾發生過有序違約。還有2003年時的烏拉圭，該國成功實施了出于自愿的債券掉期交易。在這一交易中，烏拉圭政府把幾年內到期的債券換成了較晚到期的類似債券。這一舉措足以令投資者相信，烏拉圭的問題只是暫時的，隨著時間的推移，該國情況將會好轉，因為其經濟增長前景依然良好。

????The opportunity for debt-troubled Europe to avoid a disaster is shrinking. Fast. Over the weekend, Greek leaders struggled to agree to a set of radical budget cuts as the country approaches an October deadline to qualify for $11 billion in aid without which it will certainly default on its growing debt.

????As the bailout of Greece spirals into a costly mess, officials have raised the idea of an "orderly default." Germany's economy minister Philipp Roesler publicly introduced the concept and, needless to say, the mere mention of bankruptcy was anything but calming for global investors.

????German Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped in, telling BBC News that the eurozone must stick together and that there aren't any procedures underway to ease Greece into a default that promises a softer landing. Merkel may have been trying to allay investors' fears, but most now see it for what it is: Greece is already preparing for what it hopes will be an orderly default, even though the country has not yet technically declared bankruptcy.

????An orderly default is equivalent to restructuring debt -- whereby creditors accept a loss while debtors agree to pay most of its debts. In July, European Union leaders agreed to a rescue plan for Greece worth more than $150 billion, which would help it cover its financing needs for the next several years. One of the key elements of the plan, which is awaiting final approval, is a bond swap deal in which Greece's debt burden is reduced, while the country's private-sector creditors agree to accept new bonds worth less than their original holdings.

????In the past, other nations have pulled off orderly defaults successfully. Could Greece, Ireland, Italy and other troubled nations in the eurozone do the same? Judging by the general surge in bond yields of the peripheral countries, it looks less likely.

????Developing nations have completed orderly defaults before. For instance, the Brady bonds in the late 1980s and early 1990s arose from an effort to reduce debt held by mostly Latin American countries that were frequently defaulting on loans.

????The Ukraine and Pakistan have also defaulted in orderly fashion. So did Uruguay in 2003. The country successfully did a voluntary bond swap in which the government offered to exchange bonds coming due in a few years for similar ones that matured later. The move was enough to convince investors that its problems were temporary and that with time, Uruguay would be better off since its growth prospects were strong.