WI the Red Brigade killed Dozier?

The Vulture

Banned
What if for whatever reason the Italian far-left terror group the Red Brigade murdered their American hostage General James Dozier in 1981 instead of releasing him? What would the US response to the kidnapping and murder of an active-duty Army general officer be? And this no doubt discredits the Italian government, what happens on the political stage?
 
I guess that'd have the potential to create some bad blood between the Italian and American governments, which could potentially lead to some level of resentment for the EU by the US government. Nothing big, but that would significantly affect financial relations.
 
I'm unfamiliar with Italian politics of the time: is this an act that would be praised at all on the Left, or would this have a political reaction to the Right that may or may not have been there in OTL?
 

The Vulture

Banned
Well, the Italian Communist Party hadn't done the smart thing and denounced the RB, instead claiming they didn't exist. Some of the more anti-American elements of the Parliament might voice approval, but I think mainly it just makes the Italians lose face on an international stage.

I don't see Reagan taking Communists killing an Army general well, though. Hell, it's not inconceivable to see the US putting a lot of pressure on Italian police or sending in experts in urban guerrilla warfare to work with the Italian authorities.
 
Well, the Italian Communist Party hadn't done the smart thing and denounced the RB, instead claiming they didn't exist. Some of the more anti-American elements of the Parliament might voice approval, but I think mainly it just makes the Italians lose face on an international stage.

I don't see Reagan taking Communists killing an Army general well, though. Hell, it's not inconceivable to see the US putting a lot of pressure on Italian police or sending in experts in urban guerrilla warfare to work with the Italian authorities.

Do you then see the Red Brigade attempting to strike at these experts (if they were sent there)? That's assuming they know they're even there...
 

Eurofed

Banned
Well, the Italian Communist Party hadn't done the smart thing and denounced the RB, instead claiming they didn't exist.

This is so terribly wrong. The Italian Communist Party was quite vocal in denouncing left-wing terrorism, and worked to contain and expel its infiltration in the unions.

Some of the more anti-American elements of the Parliament might voice approval,

Nope. Assassination of Moro in '78 had already pushed the mainstream Italian public opinion to turn against far-left violence to such an overwhelming degree that even the legal far-left fringe movements, did not dare express sympathy for the terrorists anymore. It was a kiss of death.

I don't see Reagan taking Communists killing an Army general well, though. Hell, it's not inconceivable to see the US putting a lot of pressure on Italian police or sending in experts in urban guerrilla warfare to work with the Italian authorities.

Most likely, we would see Reagan strongarming the ashamed Italin government into taking closer cooperation with the USA about fighting terrorism. As it concerns the RB, this may mean some US intelligence experts covertly cooperating with Italian police, which would have little effects overall. If the RB kill Dozier, it shall be their swan song, just like the kidnapping was. By 1982, repression by Italian police was already wrecking the RB, they were being arrested by the scores, some of them were turning evidence against their former associates, by 1983-84 Italian left-wing terrorism was extinct as a significant threat.

More interestingly, Italy would be likely forced to take a foreign policy less sympathetic to the PLO and its Middle Eastern sponsors. This has interesting consequences during the Achille Lauro crisis, and perhaps even during the 1986 bombing of Libya.
 
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maverick

Banned
Well, this is just three years after the murder of Aldo Moro by the same guys.

The most extreme option might be something akin to what the USA and Colombia have now in regards to the War on Drugs and the FARC.

Whether this causes the fall of the Christian Democratic Government (Actually, an Italian Republican Party Government) and leads to an earlier Socialist Government is hard to know.
 

Eurofed

Banned
Well, this is just three years after the murder of Aldo Moro by the same guys.

Yes, this is waht radically mobilized Italian public opinion against them.

The most extreme option might be something akin to what the USA and Colombia have now in regards to the War on Drugs and the FARC.

Way too much overkill. Whatever they do about Dozier, the RB were already in a death spiral.

Whether this causes the fall of the Christian Democratic Government (Actually, an Italian Republican Party Government) and leads to an earlier Socialist Government is hard to know.

Interesting and plausible butterfly.
 
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