A moment of decision for Italy

Italy's Parliament was dissolved on Saturday, and elections have been set for April 9.

President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi signed a decree ending the current legislature after receiving parliament's speakers, raising the curtain on five stormy months for Italian politics.

After the April 9-10 election there will be nationwide mayoral ballots and a referendum on plans to reform the constitution. The new parliament will also have to choose a successor to Ciampi, whose mandate expires in May.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been an ally in the war on terror. And Italy itself has been on the front lines. Terrorist cells and networks are entrenched in Italy.

This article describes a terrorist underground railroad of sorts in Italy, and as I discussed in this post, Milan is a center for terrorism in Europe.

Italy certainly has domestic issues to decide, but in the war on terror, will Italy stick with the center-right coalition that has proven itself willing to fight?

With all the demonstrations over the cartoons published in a Danish newspaper, Europe is seeing the true face of Islam. Will Italy flinch, and like Spain, try to appease the terrorists by rolling over and electing a left-leaning, perhaps even pacifist government? Or will Italy stand firm and strengthen their resolve to fight? We shall see.