Economic unrest in Greece has the potential to quickly spread like a cancer through the entire European Union —and back to the US where the crisis originated on Wall Street.

Greece is $400 billion in debt; more than the country’s entire economic output. Though the violent riots against austerity measures and political unrest are currently mostly contained in Athens, the economic problems are not unique to Greece. They have the potential to quickly spread through the entire European Union—and back to the US where the crisis originated on Wall Street. 

Harvard economist, author and Nation editorial board member Richard Parker joined The Emily Rooney Show to explain the economic conditions in Greece, the upcoming "vote of confidence" and why the crisis has global implications.

—Anna Lekas Miller