Berlusconi and Putin were tight says WikiLeaks
Arms Control Wonk Jeffrey Lewis digs around WikiLeaks and finds evidence that Italy, to his surprise, had pushed to have the U.S. remove tactical nuclear weapons from its territory:
'As regular readers know, I have long supported the immediate consolidation of all US nuclear weapons in Europe to two US airbases â?? with Incirlik and Aviano being the obvious candidates. The surprise announcement that Italy wants the bombs gone too modestly complicates that proposal, although presumably Rome would welcome the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Ghedi Torre.Does anyone know why the Berlusconi government might have shifted its position on forward deployed US nuclear weapons? Is it a function of some inexplicable Italian coalition politics?
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A possible answer, I think, comes from another revelation in the WikiLeaks trove:
'The official report that Mr Berlusconi â??and his croniesâ? have been enabled to make money on multi-million pound energy deals concluded between Italy and Russia.Aside from alleged financial deals, the two leadersâ?? close ties were founded on Mr Berlusconiâ??s admiration of â??Putinâ??s macho, decisive and authoritarian governing style,â? the then US ambassador to Rome, Ronald Spogli, wrote in Jan 2009.
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