Gianni Di Michelis, former Italian Foreign Minister, and author of ‘where shall we dance tonight? A guide to 250 of Italy’s best discos’, las night dismissed the women behind the campaign to block expansion of the American military base in Vicenza as ‘Nimbys’*.
Our disco-dancing Kissinger is far from alone, at least in the political class, in holding this opinion. The story goes that local communities should not be allowed to have the final say in the decision to locate important structures, be they gas re-liquefication plants (one planned for Bari has long been held up by protests), high-speed rail lines (the subject of a bitter debate both for the previous and currently serving government), or an extended American army base.
The argument is not a specifically Italian one, hence the use of ‘nimby'[Not in my backyard] by the fashion-conscious Di Michelis. The case of Vicenza, though, is a very local one. Italy’s border role during the cold war has undergone a brief period of crisis, only to be gently rebranded as a border role for the war on terror – given both its geographical and cultural position. A peace-keeping mission’s throw away from the middle east, and bordering the dangerously Islamic North Africa, there are plenty in the Italian political class (Left and Right) who see this re-branding as an important step for Italy. After all, there are tax-dollars to be gained, and allegations of anti-americanism turns off much of the electorate.
Protests have been ongoing in the town of Vicenza, where, with little or no consulation, local authorities with the approval of the government have agreed to the building of a new American base (There is already an American military base in the town, which supplies a significant amount of employment). Protesters have been smeared by politicians like interior minister Amato – who, prior to a planned protest rally in the city, warned of subversive elements and hinted that the infamous ‘black-block’ would turn the event into an attack on law and order. In reality, though, the protesters are, for the main part, local citizens concerned at the prospect of an extended military base in their area.
Are they nimbys? Well, one crucial test that should be undertaken before smearing a group as nimbys should surely be a quick check as to whether the project objected to makes sense for the country as a whole. The gas reliquefication plant, for example, may prove a hazard for the locals of Bari, but would undoubtedly be of benefit to the country as a whole – removing, somewhat, the stranglehold that gas pipelines from the former Soviet Union have on Italy’s energy supply.
So, an extension of an American military base. Does it make sense for the Italian nation as a whole? At a time when the current US military stands accused of violation of human rights and international law; at a time when the American people have voted against the foreign policy of the current US President; at a time when the Italian government is supposedly setting out an independent stall in foreign policy, the answer is surely no. The enlargement of the American military presence in Italy makes no sense on a national level, so it makes even less sense on a local level.
Rather than throwing out a casual smear, in a foreign language to boot, politicians like Di Michelis should explain why it makes sense both locally and nationally to aid and abett the US military at this time. Then again, that would be a particularly hard two-step to perform, even for someone as fly on his feet.
*The distaste with which Di Michelis uttered the word nimby is understandable. As a member of the Socialist party that was so utterly discredited in the 1990’s during the tangentopoli bribery scandals, he would, no doubt, be more a member of the ypimby school of thought, where yp=yes please.