Giorgia Meloni in Perspective

Playbook: “For all the shock about Meloni having a seat at the table in the G-7, NATO and the EU, you would be hard-pressed to find anything she has said about globalism, immigration, or nearly any other issue animating the global populist right that is more controversial than what’s been uttered by the last American president. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be deeply concerning that her party has neo-facist roots and embraces the tri-color flame symbol associated with Mussolini.”

“But in terms of the issues that the U.S. cares about — keeping the anti-Putin coalition intact and keeping Rome as a constructive force inside the EU — Meloni is either already on board or unlikely to make waves. Italy is reliant on billions of dollars in aid from the EU, and most analysts here believe that alone will curtail any anti-Europe backsliding.”