Europe’s Darkest Hour: The Danger Comes from the UK and Italy
Updated 10 June. Two political developments threaten Europe: A no-deal Brexit that would certainly hurt the British economy but would also be painful on the continent, and an out-of-control deficit in Italy. Taken separately, Europe could handle the issues. But
European Parliament Elections: Why Italy is a Major Battleground
Update 25 May 2019: While results of the vote in the UK won't be made public until Sunday, early exit polls in the Netherlands delivered a surprise: Baudet's Eurosceptic populist party did not come ahead as predicted by the polls
Italy’s Love Affair with Populism: From Berlusconi to Salvini
Updated 24 February 2019 with the news that Salvini is taking funds from Russia. Italy has a surprising weakness for populism à la Trump. It began over twenty-five years ago with Silvio Berlusconi and his Forza Italia party and is
ITALY: WHAT THE NEW GOVERNMENT MEANS FOR EUROPE
On 31 May, Italian politics took an unexpected, spectacular turn. President Mattarella approved the very government he had vetoed – as was his constitutional right – four days earlier. Now the two big winners of the March elections, Luigi Di
Italy 2018: Politics Shaped by Social Media
Italian politics is notoriously complex and unfathomable. One reason is that Italy often ventures in uncharted waters, foreshadowing the future. Today, Italy is the first big democracy in the West where social media gave birth to a leading party, the Five
Elections in Italy: Why They Matter for Europe and the World
Imagine the following result from the March 4 vote in Italy: either the populist Five Star Movement led by young Luigi Di Maio (he’s 31) or the conservative right coalition, led by Berlusconi (he’s 81) and firebrand Salvini, gets an