ITALY: Facing a Crisis in the Dark

Political crises occur so often in Italy that Italians—and indeed the rest of the world—hardly blink an eye when governments fall. After all, that political drama has taken place no fewer than 35 times in the past 31 years, and the life expectancy of an average Italian Cabinet is only ten months. Last week Italy's 36th government fell after only 89 days, but this time there was a major difference. The latest upheaval, which Italians quickly dubbed "the crisis in the dark," was not caused, as it so often has been in the past, by political infighting. This time it...