Italy forming new populist government today to challenge EU

Chaos and instability is more or less the normal state of affairs when it comes to Italy’s national government. But the formation of a new government expected today, two months after voters handed more than 50% of the vote to two populist parties (Five Star and The League) promises more strife and uncertainty than usual. Now, the European Union faces the probability of defiance by a major member state. Ishan Tharoor writes in the Washington Post:

…the populists’ ascension in Rome crystallizes a real danger for Europe’s liberal establishment. Their joint platform offers an emphatic riposte to the edicts of Brussels, potentially threatens the integrity of the euro zone, promises a hard-line campaign against migrants and extends a hand of friendship to Moscow.