美国国家公共电台 NPR--A far-right group with neo-fascist roots wins big in Italy's election

A far-right group with neo-fascist roots wins big in Italy's election

Transcript¹

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies about far-right victories in Italy's election, and the rise of far-right political parties in Europe.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Giorgia Meloni is set to become Italy's new prime minister. She's the head of the Brothers of Italy Party, a far-right group with neo-fascist roots. And until recently, it was on the fringes of Italian politics. Just four years ago, the party won just 4% of the votes. Now it's become Italy's largest political party, claiming the greatest percentage of the vote in this week's elections. To talk about the implications of this result, we turn to Max Bergmann. He served in the State Department under President Barack Obama. He now directs the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

MAX BERGMANN: Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: How much of this party's rapid success is because of Giorgia Meloni herself?

BERGMANN: I think a lot of it. I mean, she has ran a really excellent campaign. I think the other thing to realize is that she was not in government. There was a national unity² caretaker government headed by a former chairman of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi. And she was in the opposition³, which allowed her to sort of grow her profile and to really sort of professionalize her party. And she has, you know, shown that she's a really adept⁴ politician. And the efforts of the opposition to portray⁵ her as sort of neo-fascist frankly⁶ didn't work because the Italian voters didn't really believe it. And she had done a lot to try to moderate the way she (inaudible) across and many of her policy positions. So I think she sort of deserves a lot of credit for successfully winning this election and really coming out of nowhere in terms of Italian politics.

MARTIN: There's a speech from 2019 that she gave that's been circulating widely on social media. And in it, she talks about protecting God, country and family. And she also talks about fears of becoming, quote, "slaves and simple consumers at the mercy of financial speculators." What's that about?

BERGMANN: Well, I think part of the roots of her party and part of her appeal in Italy is that there's a lot of concern about social change. You know, Italy has been known as a very Catholic, conservative country, and they have experienced a lot of the progressive change in Italy that we've experienced here in America and has taken place across Europe. And so in that sense, she is very much a social conservative that we would know in sort of Christian⁷ conservative roots. But when that comes to actual implementing⁸ policies, reversing abortion⁹, for instance, is not popular in Italy. So there's a real question of how far she will actually go in sort of trying to turn back the social clock in Italy. And so I think some of this is that's part of her populist appeal that has helped gain her a legitimate¹⁰ base of voters. And then she sort of moved away from that in - to expand her appeal further to actually win the election and become the next prime minister.

MARTIN: How do the Brothers of Italy compare to other far-right political parties that are on the rise in Europe?

BERGMANN: Well - so there's sort of a collection of three far-right or center-right parties that are going to form a government. And I think the one thing I'd say is that I think it's a relief, especially to the Biden administration and probably to the United States, that it's her that will lead the government and not the two others, Matteo Salvini, who - from the League Party, who has very close ties to Russia and has opposed sanctions. And then Silvio Berlusconi, who's a former Italian prime minister who was wrapped up in scandal throughout his tenure¹¹ and also has ties to Putin, has said negative things about sanctions. So with Meloni, at least she has advocated a pro-trans-Atlantic stance, has opposed Russia. And so it looks like Italy will remain a solid member of the trans-Atlantic alliance, at least when it comes to Ukraine.

MARTIN: And that's different than other far-right political parties that have been resurgent in Europe.

BERGMANN: Yeah, I think there's a lot of question about sanctions in - support for European sanctions, and Salvini, who will be part of her coalition¹², has spoken out against sanctions repeatedly. So this could be a major wedge.

MARTIN: Sanctions against Russia for the war in Ukraine, right?

BERGMANN: Yes. Against the European sanctions that have been put in place against Russia. And Salvini has spoken out against them. So I think at the very least, this will be a major wedge issue within the coalition. But the hope is that Meloni will hold the line and support European sanctions against Russia.

MARTIN: Max Bergmann with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, we appreciate you. Thanks.

BERGMANN: Thanks so much.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

5 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

9 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

10 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

11 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。