Has Draghi's Fall Broken Western Unity on Ukraine?

[Celerity]

Draghi’s resignation will likely fundamentally change Italy’s stance on the war and posture toward Russia.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/has-draghi%E2%80%99s-fall-broken-western-unity-ukraine-203755



Mario Draghi’s resignation as Italy’s prime minister might seem like a minor event on the global stage. After all, Draghi will most likely lead a caretaker government through September until parliamentary elections are held. Moreover, leading figures on the Italian Right—which is expected to triumph in the forthcoming election—have expressed support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion on February 24. A closer look at the Italian political scene, however, shows that Italy’s position on the Russo-Ukrainian War is likely to change significantly because of Draghi’s resignation. A change in Italy’s posture towards the war will be a serious blow to the West’s unified position in support of Ukraine.

Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, was sworn in as Italy’s prime minister in February 2021 to lead a government of national unity. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year later, Draghi took a firm stance in favor of Ukraine and against Russia. Italy contributed to the reinforcement of NATO’s eastern flank, provided aid to Ukraine, and supported harsh sanctions against Russia even though Italy has historically had a robust trading relationship with Russia and is highly dependent on Russian oil and gas. The best indicator of Italy’s importance in the Western response to the Russo-Ukrainian War was Draghi’s visit to Kyiv in June alongside French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Draghi’s resignation will likely fundamentally change Italy’s stance on the war and posture toward Russia. Current polling suggests that the Right is likely to triumph in the September elections. Leaders of Italy’s major right-wing parties have a history of support for Vladimir Putin. The League party’s Matteo Salvini has worn a t-shirt with Putin’s face on it and has called him “one of the best men in government in the world.” Georgia Meloni, head of the Brothers of Italy, has lauded Putin as a defender of “European values” and “Christian identity.” And, of course, Silvio Berlusconi has long been one of Putin’s best friends and supporters in Western European politics.

Even if a coalition of right-wing parties does not win outright in September, Italy’s position on the Russo-Ukrainian War is still likely to change. Historically, the Italian public has had a pro-Russian current and is divided on who is to blame for the war in Ukraine. Italy’s media has given Kremlin-friendly voices lots of airtime to defend Russia’s actions since February. Notably, the left-populist Five Star Movement ruptured recently over the Draghi government’s decision to send military aid to Ukraine.

snip

[Lovie777]

1. No......

[maxsolomon]

2. No. Italy is in NATO.

They aren't withdrawing from NATO.

[OilemFirchen]

3. Nope. And in related news, chicken-fucking is still popular!

Founded in 1985 by American columnist and neoconservatism advocate Irving Kristol, the magazine was until 2001 edited by Australian academic Owen Harries.

In 2001, The National Interest was acquired by The Center for the National Interest, a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C., that was established by former U.S. President Richard Nixon on January 20, 1994, as the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom. Nixon's handpicked executive and current president, Dimitri Simes, was named in the Mueller report as one of the links between Donald Trump 2016 campaign officials and individuals with ties to the Russian government.

In 2005, ten editors of The National Interest resigned due to different viewpoints regarding the magazine's acquisition and with the larger editorial board. Those who left founded a separate journal, The American Interest.

...

Writing in Politico, journalist James Kirchick argued in 2016 while commenting on Donald Trump's Russian relationships that The National Interest and its parent company "are two of the most Kremlin-sympathetic institutions in the nation’s capital, even more so than the Carnegie Moscow Center."