Berlusconi makes you think of Fidel. Not his friend Confalonieri, but the Caribbean leader Castro.
There's a Soviet flavor to the setting. At his latest press conference, the red fabric with yellow branches behind Berlusconi's shoulders is identical to the red velvet curtain with the golden embroidered hammers and sickles of the Bolshoi Theatre, which were restored a few years ago.
Silvio seems to be sharing Fidel's fondness for speeches as long as rivers, and his resistance to any prospect of leaving power. But Berlusconi's real Castroism is in the tone and content. His speech at Villa Gernetto is not that of a European leader, but of a Southern American caudillo, with strong anti-Western sentiments. Statements like this act as proof: "We need to put an end to this situation. And we can do it by completely changing the politics imposed by Merkel on Italy." Or his underlying of personal distances, against "Merkel and Sarkozy, who murdered my international credibility with their smirks."
Il Cavaliere we saw at the press conference was once again wearing the clothes of the populist revolutionary of the past: "I intend to dedicate the majority of my time to my country and to continue that work of modernization and change with which I introduced myself to Italians in 1994." He announced the main goal of his rebellion: Mario Monti.
In fact, Silvio's comeback after only three -- but very significant -- days implies a change that will impact the entire Italian political scenery. The leader of the PDL (center-right political party in Italy), who three days ago had announced that he would not run again, was a leader who was trying to be remembered in history for his respect for institutions, a founding father in pectore whose sacrifice was needed to build a new piece of Europe. The Berlusconi who is now coming back is a man who is ready to go against the current Europe and the current prime minister.
We will be able to measure the consequences of this further swinging scenario as early as in the next hours (what will happen to the primaries? What will the moderates do? Can the Pd (social-democratic party in Italy) leave to Berlusconi the fight against Mario Monti?) But right from the beginning we can reveal that, on the No Monti Day, Silvio's Molotov was the one who finally reached Palazzo Chigi (the government's headquarters).
This post originally appeared on HuffPost Italia.