Italy’s Starlink Deal Is a Different Kind of National Surrender

Published: January 17, 2025, 12:36 pm

    Since becoming prime minister, Giorgia Meloni has developed a notable rapport with Elon Musk, as testified by Musk’s attendance at the 2023 edition of Meloni’s political festival, Atreju, and his conferment, last year, of the Atlantic Council’s “Global Citizen Award” to Meloni. Their relationship has attracted significant attention in recent months with regard to a potential €1.5-billion deal to employ Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service for the provision of secure military communications to the Italian government.

    Starlink, operated by SpaceX, uses a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to provide internet connectivity, particularly to underserved or remote areas. The service has been operational in Italy since 2021, serving approximately 50,000 customers, but discussions with the Italian government suggest a possible expansion into secure government communications. The talks reportedly include provisions for military communications to Italy’s estimated 7,000 troops deployed overseas and emergency services like disaster response or counter-terrorism operations — for which Meloni says there is “no public alternative”. However, the prime minister’s office has denied signing any contracts, emphasising that talks with SpaceX were still “in the preliminary stage”.

    The potential deal has stirred a heated debate in Italy. Opposition parties, primarily the Democratic Party (PD), have voiced significant apprehensions about the deal, arguing that entrusting Italy’s sensitive government and military communications to a foreign private entity like SpaceX raises series concerns about national security and sovereignty. One senator from the PD, for example, has described this move as an “unacceptable sell-out of national sovereignty”, highlighting the danger of relying on a company owned by Musk, known for his controversial political stances and close ties to right-wing figures internationally. The fear is that sensitive data could potentially be at risk if not strictly managed under Italian or European control. Critics of the deal argue that that Italy should foster its own technological capabilities or support the European Union’s satellite programs like IRIS, set to launch in 2029, rather than outsourcing to a US-based company.

    There’s also concern over the economic implications of the deal. Critics within the PD suggest that this partnership might sideline local and European companies, thereby affecting job opportunities within Italy’s telecom sector. The opposition has pointed out that Starlink’s services directly compete with local telecom operators, potentially leading to market monopolisation by SpaceX. This could have long-term negative effects on Italy’s telecommunications industry, reducing the incentive for local innovation and investment.

    Many of the opposition’s criticisms are valid, but the rhetoric about national sovereignty rings hollow coming from the Democratic Party. Since its inception in the mid-2000s — and even in its previous post-communist incarnations — the party has consistently championed and facilitated the extensive transfer of Italy’s economic sovereignty to the European Union. Indeed, it has often dismissed the very notion of national sovereignty altogether, preferring to it the concept of “European sovereignty”. Furthermore, the party has remained largely silent about the many Italian companies that have come under foreign ownership in recent years — often under its watch — or about the increasing influence of US investment funds, particularly BlackRock, in some of the country’s largest corporations.

    So it seems pretty clear that their true concern isn’t Italy’s national sovereignty (which has already largely been forfeited to the EU) or the country’s security and economic dependence on the US (which already exists) — but rather Musk himself. The opposite could be said about Meloni, of course. There is good reason to believe that, from her standpoint, the deal is more about political allegiance than strategic necessity — that is, about cementing her relationship with Trump and his incoming administration. Ultimately, the entire Italian political class seems resigned to the country’s role as a satellite of foreign powers, with the only real dispute between the government and the opposition being whether it should be more subordinate to Brussels or to Washington.

    Source: UnHerd

    Thomas Fazi

    marko@freewestmedia.com

    Consider donating to support our work

    Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.

    Keep ​your language polite​. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in​,​ for example​, ​Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.

    If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violation​s​ of​ any​ law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.

    If your comments are subject to preview ​by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.

    We reserve the right to del​ete​ comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.

    No comments.

    By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.

    Trump Freezes Millions in USAID Funds for Foreign Media

    Trump’s Suspension of US Foreign Aid Hits Hundreds of Balkan Influence Operations

    $1.7 billion were distributed over four years in ex-Yugoslavia alone

    Ungrateful Russians Apprehensive About Budding Biometric Paradise

    Mixed reviews after Schwab minion installs 1 million bio-terminals across Russia

    Trump Deals Hammer Blow to Taiwan With Semiconductor Tariffs

    Wants Taiwan to not sell to China, but also threatens to make it expensive to sell to US

    US Restricts Transfer of AI Chips to Allied Poland

    And other eastern NATO states

    US Is Taking Patriot Missiles From Israel to Ukraine

    Decommissioned Israeli anti-air missiles soon in Ukraine

    Canada’s Vassal Status on Full Display With Return of Trump

    "For decades the country’s invariable policy was to commit just the bare minimum required not to be cast out in the wilderness"

    100,000s of Palestinians Returning to North Gaza

    650,000 returning to live in tents next to the rubble of their homes

    What Should Tesla’s Stock Be Worth? Overtaken by Competitors, Losing Share

    Tesla is now just another mid-size automaker amid EV competition that is eating its lunch

    Hamas Has Recruited Close to 15,000 Fighters Since Oct 7

    US intel estimates Hamas just as large as before Israeli onslaught

    Go to archive