Giving Thanks

I made a mistake, in the pages of a British magazine last month, by announcing the dawning of an era in which Giuseppe Conte, then the Italian prime minister, would become an essential national figure. This was a mistake in one obvious and chastening way – Conte failed to form another government, he no longer holds office of any kind – but wrong in another sense: one which may mean that, if anything, I undersold Conte’s stock.

Conte’s Conundrum

Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has offered his resignation to the country’s president while he seeks to form a new governing majority. This is not entirely without precedent. It happens rather a lot in Italy, and Conte himself has done it before, in 2019. Then, everything was largely resolved without turmoil. This time, however, the world’s and Italy’s situations are different.

Italy’s, and Europe’s, Migrant Crisis

Last week brought a startling report about what happens on boats transporting migrants or refugees across the Mediterranean.

Mixing among those on board – migrants, sailors, charity workers, and journalists – was another man. He was not as he seemed.