Italy and the International Intervention in Libya

This chapter examines Italy’s role and actions as regards the international intervention in Libya. After a brief account of Italian-Libyan relations during Gaddafi’s regime, the chapter analyzes the position taken by the Berlusconi government within the European Union (EU), its efforts to establish a working relationship with Gaddafi’s opponents, its insistence on NATO assuming responsibility for the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory, its reluctance to play a full and direct role in such an operation, and, finally, the domestic political debate on the crisis and Italian intervention. It concludes that Italy’s actions in the Libyan case are consistent with its efforts to develop a more active and assertive foreign and security policy and have not disrupted the preference for multi-partisan consensus, which has characterized Italian foreign policy since the late 1970s.