Nobody was surprised when he asked his own Social Democratic Party to lead negotiations to form a new government.

ECONOMIST: A benighted country lurches from crisis to crisis

And so the right course for us is working through our partners and with our own resources to identify responsible parties within Syria, organize them, bring them together in a form of, not government, a form of council that can take the lead in Syria, and then make sure they have the arms necessary to defend themselves.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

Mario Monti is starting work to form a new government to lead Italy out of its acute debt crisis which prompted the resignation of PM Silvio Berlusconi.

BBC: Italy crisis: Mario Monti moves to form new government