“Chaos is staring us in the face,” you quote Jacques Attali, an economic adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy, who is doing everything in his power to preserve France’s top-notch crediting rating (“The Ratings Game,” December 3, 2011). Coming from Attali, who is famous for his optimism, these words about the eurozone troubles are surely frightening. A French intellectual of renown, he has tried his hand not only in economics, but also in philosophy and even fiction. Optimism is his hallmark throughout. Why, the Attali Commission, as the outfit he is heading is widely known, advises Sarkozy on economic growth. Imagine, economic growth in France! Today! That is surely unsurpassed optimism. Returning to his warning words, unprecedented as they are, chaos is a most horrifying prospect.