Joseph LaPalombara

In Italy it is widely understood, even if left unspoken, that Niccolò Machiavelli had a hand in the birth of its just-installed national government, headed by youthful Matteo Renzi. Like most Tuscans, and millions of others around the world, Renzi surely has read Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” the famous 16th century treatise with blunt advice for pursuing, retaining, and expanding political power. The rise of a new Machiavelli in Rome, whose telegenic charm draws comparisons with former British Labor leader Tony Blair, has raised hopes in foreign capitals about a halt to Italy’s downward economic spiral and political doldrums. The fear, though, is that Renzi may offer less than meets the eye.