Italy's shame in Libya

Tell Berlusconi that the boats are full of dusky, sloe eyed, wiggle hipped under age Libyan strippers looking for the party.

They can't get any work at home because Qaddafi likes his dates to be tall, blonde, East European babes with big tits.

Wow, quite some article you posted. Alas, along with a few very reasonable arguments, a worrying undertone of Italian-bashing lurks. True, Berlusconi is an easy target nowadays, and his response to the whole issue has been over-cautious to say the least.
On the other hand, there is some room for realpolitik considerations here. Italy has significant economic interests in Libya, and in the initial phases of the crisis it was not obvious what the outcome would be (is it now?).
Anyway, I do not see the cavalry from other "more advanced" countries intervening either. Given the circumstances, I consider the lack of a common response (and the imposition of a no-fly zone) by the EU or a more meaningful statement by the US a much bigger sign of ineptitude than Berlusconi's hesitation. Could anyone else with a degree of involvement such as Italy's have done any better?
Another point I would like to address is your analysis of Italy's motives. While it is certainly worried about its oil interests, you underestimate the country's citizens' fears of further immigration waves. Your mention of UNHCR figures is preposterous. I do not have any statistics ready, but nobody would deny that hundred of thousands of illegal immigrants roam Italy and have made it unsafe in recent years. From this point of view the Northern League is really just doing its job.

I recommended this article which rightfully damns Italy with faint or no praise.
I do not know how other EU member states can bear to listen to Italy's demands and bargaining pleas. Italy is an EU state that
a)has done its utmost to never implement EU regulations and principles. Have a look at the unsuccessful 30 year struggle of the foreign language lecturers in Italian Universities, many of whom are British, as they try to achieve fundamental EU rights in Italy, the very rights which the 2011 Italian University Reform Act cheerfully swept into oblivion;
b) serves as an example of how to flout EU laws with impunity;
c) is crying victim because the EU will not commit money and member state resources to succour an entirely immaginary " biblical exodus" - which nobody has, as yet, even seen. To the best of my knowledge,only about 5-6,000 refugees from N African countries have arrived on the shores of two Italian Mediterranean islands in the past few days. This hardly constitutes an onslaught of hordes requiring nearly 140 million euros to deal with and a EU dispersal plan!
Who exactly is planning to pocket that money? Where will it be diverted?

When will other EU mamber states wake up to the fact that Italy, a founder member, is apparently doing its best to undermine the EU?

Other EU countries, which have done/are doing their best to implement EU regulations, appear blind and uncaring to Italy's défaillance.
What message is that sending to the people of Europe?

When will MEPs wake up, smell the coffee, make their voices heard and start earning their salaries?

This is a superb, analytical, knowledgable, notebook entry.

Anything will do to distract attention from Berlusconi and his tart.

I don't see many european countries in a good position to give lessons to others about "how to deal with tyrants and your former colonies". Not UK, not France (you quote MR Juppé..). How many dictators have been in power on this planet thanks to British or French support (and let alone US)? How many in North Africa? Qaddafi, Ben Ali, Bouteflika, Moubarak etc.. were they just Italy's friends? We import 25% of our energy supplies from Lybia: what would have happened to our dirty oil drills if a disturbing (for Qaddafi)statement was made by an italian official 2 or 3 days ago when he had the chance to destroy them? I know you Brits put principles above all and so my previous remarks might not be accepted... I saw it the last year when, in order to allow BP to drill in Lybia, Britain freed the lybian terrorists that made explode a flight over Scotland (killing many britons, by the way..).
No flight zones: is it something we can decide alone? Do you REALLY think that a European intervention is impossible because of us (by the way Italy is thinking to an intervention beacause there are 400 italians in the desert with no food)? I don't see many European countries doing better than us. They just do what they can.. which means very few, given the fact that many european nationals are still trapped there.
I'm far from being a Berlusconi's fan, and I think his comments were out of place, but if we talk about shame.. are you sure we are the only ones that should feel ashamed? As usual the others' sins look like ours but smells more...

I have the suspct that is all about other countries oil interest, jelouse of the Italian position in Libia. Italy according ISTAT guest 3.432.651 foreigners.(2008, with a growt of 20%/year) My wife is one of them. It is no possible to know how many more there are without documents. That is why there are a little number of political refugees: there is no need to ask for that status. But if you interview the people on the street, they can confirm how generous is the italian hospitalty. You are free dear jornalist to do in Germany if you want, I dubt peope would belive what you publish

Now is the moment Italy can go a long way to redeem itself for its colonial era atrocities in Libya. Gaddafi and his family are openly murdering Libyans in an effort to perpetuate their dictatorship. Even something as simple as using the Italian airforce in imposing a no fly zone over Libya would reduce the killings and not involve actual Italian boots on the ground.
But I guess though, all those European liberals who ranted on about how under no circumstances could the US intervention in Iraq be justified INCLUDING the ground of deposing a psychopathic murderer running a terror state as his personal possession, will be quite happy to sit back and watch Gaddafi and his family kill and kill to exterminate those ordinary Libyans who desire to live in a state with justice and liberties that those liberals take for granted.

Wow. This is one for the books. Britain which bribes Saudis, releases mass murderers in exchange for drilling rights in Libya and has a record of collaboration with the worst and most abominable telling the PIGS how it's done. It is all revealed there isn't it, the acronyms says it all. It's how you think about the others.

"Italy also made a controversial deal allowing its navy to push boats carrying illegal migrants and asylum-seekers back to Libyan shores."

What is controversial about that? The current policy (=let them land, stay for years and bring their families so that we'll never be able to repatriate them) is clearly not working and the vast majority of Europeans resent it deeply.

Refugee status is now so widely abused that it has lost its meaning. It was supposed to help people who are genuinely oppressed in their home countries because of their democratic convictions or threatened by (civil) wars. Most of today's refugees are simply economic migrants who are not fleeing because they're politically repressed or threatened; they come to Europe in search of better jobs.

It is not Europe's duty to take care of all of Africa's poor. It - is - not, period. Italy has a point that the Mediterranean EU countries are on the "frontlines" and should be assisted in dealing with the onslaught of illegal immigrants. The proposed solution is wrong, however. This is what needs to be done: the EU should boost its naval patrols in the Mediterranean Sea and *physically* prevent the migrants from reaching European shores. That way they won't be able to claim the refugee status in order to sneak their way into European labour market.

Illegal immigrants are called 'illegal' for a reason. The press should stop pretending they're the victims - they're in fact criminals and should be treated as such. If Europe needs immigrants, they should come legally and from places we choose, not clandestinely from cultures that are mostly incompatible with ours.

A good article. It is clear by now that, once again, the European response to the crisis is tardy, disunited and lacking punch (not to mention the undemocratic disgrace of one like Berlusconi at the helm of a major EU country).
When the dust settles after the "revolutions" Brussels needs to re-think its policies, both external and internal to the EU.

The comment by Londiner -

"When will other EU mamber states wake up to the fact that Italy, a founder member, is apparently doing its best to undermine the EU?"

is worth further reflection within the EU Parliament.

@Joe Solaris

Its no use blaming Berlusconi alone.

Berlusconi is the Prime minister of Italy acting on behalf of Italy, therefore his foreign policy is the foreign policy of Italy.

Nobody put a gun to Italians and forced them to vote for his party.

@sherryblack:
Your anti-Italian tirades are becoming tiresome. In 2001, Mr. Berlusconi won 66 out of 67 deputies/electoral districts in Sicily, thus cementing his majority in parliament in the years 2001-2006. Are you so sure nobody is pointing a gun to anybody's head in Sicily?
In any case, he needs no guns with his undemocratic mediatic dominance. If I owned three of this country's largest TV networks (and dominated the other three State channels once in power) I too could get elected Prime Minister - if the law allowed it. Even you could get elected Prime Minister.

Nice article.....I wonder if Italians can see the positions of their government, politicians is undermining the countries image and real interest in the area and beyond.

What I am writing is really sad and even humiliating for an Italian, however the truth must be said. What can usefully arise, as long as there is a wicked PM who entered politics just to set a few personal interests of his own, in order to make his economic and lobbying power steadier than ever and to solve his everlasting judicial problems? Together with that there are a few people (green shirted fellows), siding with him, who never never gave a clear and detailed political plan about their steaming idea of local community empowerment, they have been claiming, for almost three decades, useless xenophobic outstanding. Lack of political culture - it doesn't exist at all - as well as a lot of people feel even secure in their own ignorance and commonplace, while B. says a lot of nonsense just to please and appease them. Why not indeed? He's a very rich man (what they always dream to be), the chairman of many people's favourite football team, he supplies a lot of silly TV fictions through his own TV networks. He's a hero for many citizens although he's the most despicable politician in Italian postwar history.

Beyond economic interests, Italy’s timid position against Colonel Quaddafi’s bloodthirsty dictatorship can be also explained by the peculiar kind of relationship Berlusconi maintained with foreign rulers. All the time he meets a foreign prime minister, president or dictator he is eager to show that it is not simply a colleague but it is a bosom friend of his. So, he used to play cowboys with George W. Bush, he invited several times Vladimir Putin to his Sardinia’s villa, he kissed Colonel Quaddafi’s hands, all for the purpose to persuade Italians that he has a special feeling with all these people. He always lets Italians know that, when there is an international crisis, there is no need of diplomatic relationship, because all he needs to do is to pick up the phone an call to his “friend George” or to his “friend Vladimir”. The problem of this particular kind of relationship is that, if a wicked tyrant who shoots his people is also your bosom friend it is tactless to “disturb him”. Besides, when it comes out that the man you publicly supported as one of your best friends, it’s a bloodthirsty tyrant, it is really difficult to turn your back on him. It is difficult to explained that when you bowed to kiss his hands you really didn’t know they were dripping blood. However, I must observe that, if Italy is in the front line and it should have done something more, even other EU countries have not been very quick in condemning the falling dictatorships all over the Arab countries. Colonel Quaddafi, Hosni Mubarak and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali didn’t come into power from yesterday. On the contrary they ruled their countries for decades and we haven’t heard very much from Great Britain, France, Germany and Spain against their regimes since now.

You are kidding, right?

If Mr Maroni and the heads of ENI pursued anything else other than Italy's security and business interests, they would be derelict in their duties.

Next you'll tell us that the US invaded Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction and the US north invaded the south to free the slaves.

Alright, maybe you can treat your younger readers like naive idiots without their realising it.

To be sure, it may be in Italy's and other Mediterranean countries' interest that Mr Gadhafi go away as soon as possible with as little bloodshed as possible.

And of course any sensitive human being would like to see his fellow humans in Libya have the freedom to pursue their talents and their own happiness.

But another bias political rant, c'mon!

@Joe Solaris:

Don't make a fool of yourself . Do you think nobody knows that other European TV channels are available in Italy

To portray Italy as a country which only has access to Belusconi's media is hilarious to say the least.

Berlusconi was elected by the Italian people and represents them. BTW - and don't make a fool of yourself (again) - we all know about the parlimentary system in Europe and coalition governments. Even Britain has a coalition government.

Tell me Sherry - you who are such an expert on Italy from the other side of the planet - what other European channels are available to Italian viewers where?
You may have noticed this country is a peninsula separated from the rest of the continent by Europe's highest mountains. And even if it were not so, do you think the Italians are such great linguists that they watch French, German, Austrian, Slovenian, Swiss TV on any regular basis?
It was while sitting in a hotel in Bratislava years ago that I noticed the average resident in western Slovakia had much greater exposure to other countrys' channels than any Italian.

'This has happened, on a voluntary basis, when Malta was swamped with boat people'
Where did Charlemagne get this? Apart from some token 'parcelling' of refugees by the likes of Latvia and Ireland, the only things Malta got from Brussels and its EU 'friends' were platitudes and finger-wagging. The only meaningful support came - and continues to come - from the United States.
With friends like these........