ABSTRACT
The period of the so-called ‘war on terror’ in Italy saw the election of the XIV (2001-2006) and XV legislatures (2006-2008) and the rise and fall of three governments – the second and third of right-of-centre Silvio Berlusconi in the XIVth and the second of left-of-centre Romano Prodi in the XVth. These governments drafted anti-terrorist legislation, committed Italy to international missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and ultimately ended the Italian mission in Iraq. This article discusses the Berlusconi and Prodi governments’ ‘war on terror’ proposals and analyses the parliamentary debates and votes on these proposals, with a view to explaining the role of Italy’s Parlamento in the making of and scrutiny over ‘war on terror’- related legislation. As the discussion will show, during the post-9/11 period, none of the Italian governments used the terrorist emergency to alter the balance of power between the legislature and the executive or to push an agenda contrary to that sought by deputati or senatori.
