Meloni’s Italy: A Viable “Radical Model” for the European Union?

A U.S. administration led by Donald Trump, with its unilateral approach, preference for bilateral relations with allies, and focus on restoring supposed American greatness through a reduction in the costs associated with maintaining the international order, may find it advantageous to promote a “Meloni political model” within the European Union (EU). This perspective helps explain the activism of Elon Musk in Europe, as he acts as a catalyst for the trans-nationalization of far-right actors across the continent, a project previously attempted (though ultimately unsuccessful) by Steve Bannon during the first Trump administration. On the other hand, the Meloni government may gradually abandon its current “dual-track” approach, which has thus far combined pragmatism in foreign policy with symbolic “culture wars” domestically, toward a fully radical stance. In this context, the so-called “external constraints” (NATO, EU institutions, and financial markets) that are often cited as limiting factors may even serve as facilitators. Ultimately, the culmination of a process that began with Berlusconi in 1994 in Italy’s political landscape could be the establishment of a radical political model, an “Italian model” that could potentially be applied throughout the European Union.