Italy's Fears of Libyan Civil War

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Feb. 22 that Italy is concerned about the risk of civil war in Libya and the possibility of a subsequent "immigration of epochal dimensions toward the European Union." Italy is concerned about not only vast migrations of Libyan refugees toward Italy, but the possibility that Islamist radicals from sub-Saharan Africa could enter Europe through Italy during the chaos. If the situation in Libya deteriorates, Italy — and possibly Greece — could look to NATO and the European Union for assistance in stemming the tide of immigration.