Italy's hard truths

Abstract

Italy’s new government is more right-wing than any in the country’s post-War history. Nevertheless, the coalition is familiar. The same three parties were in government once in the 1990s and twice in this century. The difference is that Giorgia Meloni’s postfascist Brothers of Italy is in charge. Meanwhile, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini’s Lega have changed under the influence of electoral engineering to divide Italians into “left” and “right.” The right has adapted; the left has not. Meloni’s governing coalition is disciplined and competent by dint of this experience. The question is how long Italians will support it.