March 9, 2013

Dangerous Times: Is Italy teetering?

By James Lewis and Justine Aristea
Italy is the strategic center of the Mediterranean.  The U.S. Sixth Fleet is headquartered in Naples, and with Muslim radicals taking over the southern and eastern shores of the Med, Italy is once again Europe's defensive line against chaos and instability. Which is why Europe is panicking about Italy's unprecedented political chaos, triggered by comedian and mass agitator Beppe Grillo.  (See our previous columns.) Two weeks ago, Grillo led  his mass personality cult -- "The Five Star Party" -- to a shocking 24% of the Italian vote, the biggest party vote since Mussolini received 25% in 1922.  Now the polls show an additional 3% for Grillo.  New elections are slated for June, and a huge political brawl is exploding to expose Grillo for the remarkable nutcase he really is.  The Euromedia completely failed to report on Grillo before the election, and now they are trying to make up for lost time. In response, Grillo is threatening "violence in the streets"...(Read Full Article)