Canada's "European Vacation": What Does it Mean for eItaly?

Day 1,483, 11:29 • Published in Italy Italy • by Irov

In an excellent recent article, longtime eCanadian political insider SaraDroz examined the turning of the joint Polish/Serbian expedition into North America and Canada's subsequent ability to take the fight back to these two European powerhouses. In the course of the article, Sara notes a Polish desire for a "white peace" (essentially an immediate end to hostilities without substantial compensation from either party) and Canada's inclination to reject that peace until a more satisfying one is proposed. The tenor of the article and following comments are clear: Canada believes ONE is overextended and wishes to take advantage of this fact by driving Poland and Serbia backwards across Europe. And while Canadians (and their American bros) seem as a whole to be enthusiastic for this fight to continue, protracted war will affect not just our North American friends, but those of us in Europe as well.

In light of this, my question here is simple: what will Canadian protraction of the war effort mean for eItaly? I believe the answer is best divided into short-term and long-term implications.

THE SHORT TERM


As we already know, Canada intends to enter Polish-held France directly from the west, allowing it to progress eastward at its leisure. Presumably (though not certainly) its strategy will be to capture the regions on the French coast which border directly onto North America, closing the door on ONE's ability to attack Canada and the US from Europe and ending a longstanding threat to both nations. While it's unclear as of yet whether Canada will hold some regions itself or liberate them to France, this is largely immaterial; what's important is that these will most likely be large battles which require a great deal of ONE's attention. In this short term, then, this should bode particularly well for Italy, which will benefit greatly from Serbia's need to defend its remaining possessions in southern France and its subsequent need to assist Poland in its struggles to the north. Essentially, these battles (which will most likely be spearheaded by both Canada and the previously occupied USA) will act as large drains, and while combined Polish/Serbian manpower is more than adequate to overtake the North Americans if concentrated all at once, certainly there will be a host of other engagements which will require them to judiciously divide their resources. The good news in all this is that Italy may end up as a very low priority in comparison to other, more key areas in Central and Eastern Europe, and this may allow easier liberation of southern Italy than previously expected.

THE LONGER TERM
Unfortunately, while short-term implications are relatively straightforward, the longer picture is somewhat murky. for while Canada currently has the momentum in its fight against ONE, it certainly does not have the desire (or the manpower) to maintain an overseas empire, and at some point it will naturally conclude peace and withdraw from the European theater. This is where things may get dicey for Italy, which may suddenly be located in a spot of extreme strategic urgency. With southern France (and perhaps parts of Germany) liberated, Italy will be the lone remaining bridge to Argentine Spain and Portugal, and it will have to be crossed if ONE has any design on returning to North America. And while we cannot know for certain which lands Poland and Serbia will target after peace, we must know one thing with absolute certainty: they will reorganize with a vengeance previously unknown, and they will be eager for weaker enemies on which to visit their wrath. Switzerland, Bosnia, Greece, Germany, even Romania and Croatia...the list of potential targets goes on and on, but Italy should absolutely expect to be on it. Postwar Europe has the potential to be a scary place indeed, and as always, Italy will find itself right in the center of hostilities.

THE POINT
The message is simple: while Canada is engaged with Poland and Serbia, we Italians must make hay while the sun shines. If we are to strike, it must be quickly, and only in regions which we know we can defend. If not--if slow growth is the target--then we must be consolidating for whatever defense we may eventually need. Make no mistake: Europe is about to get extremely hot, but we as a nation have been through the fire many times before. Now is the time for intelligence, planning, and decisive action--will we be up for the challenge?

FORZA ITALIA!