Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4hhp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-12T02:33:16.447Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

In and out of Iraq: A vote-seeking explanation of Berlusconi's Iraq policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2016

Jason W. Davidson
Jason W. Davidson*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
*
∗Email: jdavidso@umw.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article seeks to explain the Iraq policy of Silvio Berlusconi's second government. Why did Berlusconi's Government declare ‘non-belligerency’ when the American-led war with Iraq began in March 2003? Why did the Government send a mission of 3,000 Italian troops to Iraq in April 2003? Why did Berlusconi announce the progressive withdrawal of that contingent in March 2005? This article recognises the Berlusconi Government's ideologically-rooted pro-American tendencies, but draws on liberal international relations theory to stress the importance of the electoral motive to explain the timing and nature of the Government's decisions. As the Italian public was highly critical of the Iraq war, the Berlusconi Government could not actively participate in the war; it had to frame the deployment as a peace mission and had to begin withdrawing Italian troops before Iraq was stable and secure.

Keywords

Berlusconi, SilvioIraqliberal international relations theory
Type
Research Article
Information
Modern Italy , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , February 2008 , pp. 37 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © Association for the study of Modern Italy 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aliboni, R. and Bonvicini, G.. 2005. La politica estera dell'Italia. In L'Italia e la politica internazionale, 2005, eds Colombo, A. and Ronzitti, N., 99–113. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Brighi, E. 2006. ‘One man alone?’ A longue durée approach to Italy's foreign policy under Berlusconi. Government and Opposition 41: 278–97.Google Scholar
Brighi, E. 2007. How to change your foreign policy in 100 days: A new course with the Prodi Government? International Spectator 42: 129–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brookings Institution. 2006. Italy on the Eve of General Elections: A Turning Point or Business as Usual? Panel discussion, 4 April, Washington, DC. Available online at: http://www.brookings.edu/comm/events/20060404italy.pdf Google Scholar
Bush, G.W. 2003. President addresses the nation, 19 March, Washington, DC. Available online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/print/20030319-17.html Google Scholar
Clementi, M. 2006. L'Italia e la politica internazionale: il caso Sgrena-Calipari. In Politica in Italia: I fatti dell'anno e le interpretazioni, 2006 , eds Amyot, G. and Verzichelli, L., 109–31. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Croci, O. 2004. La fine del consenso bipartisan? La politica estera italiana e la guerra in Iraq. In Politica in Italia: I fatti dell'anno e le interpretazioni, 2004, eds Della Sala, V. and Fabbrini, S., 125–44. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Croci, O. 2005. Much ado about little: The foreign policy of the second Berlusconi Government. Modern Italy 10: 59–74.Google Scholar
Davidson, J.W. 2006. The Prodi Government and Italy-US relations: The case for optimism. International Spectator 41: 91–98.Google Scholar
Disiderio, A. 2006. Addio alle armi. Limes: L'Italia presa sul serio , 2006: 123–34.Google Scholar
Donovan, M. 2005. Gli equilibri politici dopo le elezioni di giugno. In Politica in Italia: I fatti dell'anno e le interpretazioni, 2005 , eds Guarnieri, C. and Newell, J.L., 61–80. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Downs, A. 1957. An economic theory of democracy . New York: Harper Collins.Google Scholar
Frattini, F. 2003. Government communication on emergency humanitarian intervention in Iraq. Chamber of Deputies, 15 April, Rome. Available online at: http://www.esteri.it/mae2000/attualita/2003/eng/statint/index.htm Google Scholar
Frattini, F. and Panella, C.. 2004. Cambiamo Rotta: La nuova politica estera dell'Italia . Casale Monferrato: Piemme.Google Scholar
Gordon, P.H. and Shapiro, J.. 2004. Allies at war: America, Europe and the crisis over Iraq . New York: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Government Accounting Office. 2006. Stabilizing Iraq: An assessment of the security situation . Washington, DC: Government Accounting Office. Available online at: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d061094thigh.pdf Google Scholar
Greco, E. 2004. La politica estera dell'Italia. In L'Italia e la politica internazionale, 2004, eds Colombo, A. and Ronzitti, N., 49–65. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Milner, H.V. 1997. Interests, institutions and information . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Moravcsik, A. 1997. Taking preferences seriously: A liberal theory of international politics. International Organization 51: 513–53.Google Scholar
Nuti, L. 2005. The richest and farthest master is always best: US-Italian relations in historical perspective. In The Atlantic alliance under stress: US-European relations after Iraq . ed. Andrews, D.M., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Rathbun, B.C. 2004. Partisan interventions: European party politics and peace enforcement in the Balkans . Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Redaelli, R. 2006. Afghanistan e Iraq: il completamento formale del processo istituzionale. In L'Italia e la politica internazionale, 2006, eds Colombo, A. and Ronzitti, N., 211–21. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Resoconto Stenografico. 2003. Camera dei Deputati, 19 March, Rome. Available online at: http://legxiv.camera.it/_dati/leg14/lavori/stenografici/sed283/pdfs001.pdf Google Scholar
Romano, S. 2006. Berlusconi's foreign policy: Inverting the traditional priorities. International Spectator 41: 101–7.Google Scholar
Ronzitti, N. 2004. L'intervento in Iraq e il diritto internazionale. In L'Italia e la politica internazionale , 2004, eds Colombo, A. and Ronzitti, N., 67–78. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Rose, G. 1998. Neoclassical realism and theories of foreign policy. World Politics 51: 144–72.Google Scholar
Strom, K. 1990. A behavioral theory of competitive political parties. American Journal of Political Science 34: 565–98.Google Scholar
United Nations Security Council. 2003. Resolution 1483, 22 May. Available online at: http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N03/368/53/PDF/N0336853.pdf?OpenElement Google Scholar
Vespa, B. 2003. Il Cavaliere e il Professore . Milan: Mondadori.Google Scholar
Wendt, A. 1995. Constructing international politics. International Security 20: 71–81.Google Scholar
Woodward, B. 2004. Plan of attack . New York: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar