Berlusconi's going, but there's no Silvio bullet for Italy's debt

Italy's sovereign debt crisis has been overshadowed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's reluctant promise to resign after the country’s parliament made clear he no longer commanded a majority. After the sovereign debt attention shifted from Greece to Italy, Berlusconi found it impossible to convince the world, the markets and most importantly, his coalition partners, that anything less than his resignation could help to salvage the economy. Berlusconi framed his departure---if that is what it truly becomes---in such a way that he would go only after the latest 'stability' pact measures were accepted by the parliament, thereby obligating the opposition to accept some nasty austerity measures. Nonetheless, Berlusconi's departure marks a line in the sand and possibly the end of an era. At play in this current scenario were not only Italy’s economic woes but also the powerful obstacle of the presence of the leader himself.