ROME — Pity the weak and wobbly new Italian government. While its incompatible coalition partners pretend to tolerate one another, they are relegated to being nervous bystanders, and potential casualties, in the real fight for power: the Battle of the Two Matteos. Technically speaking, the former center-left prime minister Matteo Renzi and the popular anti-migrant nationalist leader Matteo Salvini may be out of power. But their sparring has come to dominate Italy’s political life and the debate over the country’s direction. Each represents a strikingly different vision of Italy’s future.

Source: New York Times November 17, 2019 11:33 UTC