Italy's ties with U.S. may be in jeopardy

[norml]

April 12, 2006, 11:33PM

Italy's ties with U.S. may be in jeopardy

Prodi, a staunch critic of the Iraq war, is expected to focus on closer relations in Europe


By VICTOR L. SIMPSON
Associated Press

ROME - For most Americans, Italy will still be the country of luxury wear, good food and fine wine.

But a new center-left government led by Romano Prodi could bring changes in Italy's relationship with the United States, including a return to the "old Europe" that opposed the war in Iraq and has worries about what it considers Washington's aggressive foreign policy.

Ties with the United States could face their first trial when Prodi is asked to push for the arrest and extradition of 22 purported CIA agents who have been accused of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric from Milan as a suspected terrorist.

Italy has been a close ally of the U.S. since the Cold War, playing a leading role in NATO over protests from the Italian Communist Party, the largest Marxist movement in the West.

snip

But conservative Premier Silvio Berlusconi raised the relationship to a new level after taking office in 2001, calling President Bush "my friend," breaking with France and Germany by supporting the invasion of Iraq and sending 3,000 soldiers there.

Now, Prodi, a staunch critic of the Iraq war, is set to become Italy's next premier after official results showed his center-left coalition won national elections earlier this week, although Berlusconi has demanded a recount and refused to concede.


snip


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/3790779.html

[Selatius]

1. Berlusconi is such a fucking sore loser. He's a crybaby.

Hey, life is tough. Get used to it. Oh, I'm sorry. Did I just sound like a Republican there for a second? Oops!

[NEOBuckeye]

7. As the GOPers say, he needs to pull himself up by his bootstraps, IMHO n/t

[0007]

11. I wanna hear him sing.

For his part, Mr. Berlusconi, a man who proudly boasts of his triumphs in business, sports, romance and politics and even as a crooner, will not accept defeat quietly. He is already asking for a recount. Meanwhile, his former center-right coalition allies — Gianfranco Fini, of the formerly fascist National Alliance, and Pier Ferdinando Casini, of the former Christian Democrats — will undoubtedly plot against him, challenging Forza Italia for leadership of the opposition. Mr. Berlusconi has treated these men poorly, often relegating their speeches to the wee hours on his three national TV networks.

[Jazz2006]

20. He's worse than a sore loser and crybaby...

He's a very wealthy, very dishonest, sore loser and crybaby. I hope that the recount stands up with Prodi as the winner.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Correct headline: Italy's ties with Bush will be severed!

Prodi promised to pull all Italian troops out of Iraq, and he will keep that promise.

[HuffleClaw]

3. so, now the freepers will put 'liberty' instead of 'ITALIAN' dressing on

their salads? or will berlusconi manage a 'win' via some pet court?

[bluestateguy]

4. Italy's ties with the US are going to be fine

Italy's ties with the despicable man who sits in the White House are another matter entirely. The country is not the leader and the leader is not the country.

[NWHarkness]

5. To the media, Bush=America

There is, nor will there be, any strain between the Italian and the American people. But, once again, the corporate media insists on conflating Bush with America, so that any nation or leader that distances themselves from Bush is described as anti-American.

[melody]

14. I guess that makes the vast majority of Americans anti-American, too :)

To quote Bill Maher not long ago: Americans - bad for America

[madrchsod]

6. the italian troops

mision in iraq to guard archaeological sites. with them gone there will be no one guarding these sites and that is tragic

[rodeodance]

8. Italy has shown us that it is possible to topple the powerful-and we need

to followup-come Nov.

AND in 2008

[dabenpb]

9. The scary thing is

that yesterday on cnn.com there was a poll where they asked about the Italian election.

What should follow Italy's indecisive election result?
Prodi government
Berlusconi stays on
Caretaker government of officials
New election

This seems like a way for the corp elite to test the waters for the case is America where we have another highly contested election (read e-voting and more disenfranchisement as we saw if Florida) and the powers that be stay in -- ie keep the Bush crew in while they sort things out.

Maybe I am just paranoid.

b

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Any country that distances itself from the USA shows some intelligence IMO

.
.
.

I was quite pleased when Chretien refused to support Bush's invasion of Iraq.

I am NOT pleased with Harper's support of our troops doing combat in Afghanistan.

We, as Canadians have the unfortunate geographical position of living right beside the most powerful, and aggressive dictatorship in the world

(sigh)

[saigon68]

12. most powerful, and aggressive dictatorship in the world

And getting more oppressive by the hour

make sure you bring your passport when you visit fascist amerika ConcernedCanuk

And, oh by the way, leave a few finger prints and a DNA sample.

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. Sai, I lived in SanDee from 79 - 80, - luved the country and the people

.
.
.

But

When I saw the first bombs dropped on Baghdad, I decided to never return to the USA.

I had planned to retire to the sunny south,

But your voters changed all that - letting Bush invade, occupy and start slaughtering the citizens of a defenseless country.

Then voting him back in to CONTINUE the slaughter

Don't have a passport, don't intend to get one -

I'll be quite fine living in my Northern Ontario town methinks.

USA is off my list of any country that I would visit in my lifetime.

[saigon68]

21. Grew up in the Kap

fished on Remi Lake

Then came south

and now debate with a bunch of rustics

[Demeter]

15. So Much for the Coalition of the Willing

Morphing into the Coalition of the Unwilling, on its way to the Coalition of the Terminally Pissed Off.

[calimary]

17. Coalition of the Wilting is more like it.

One by one they fall. Who's next? Hopefully, george himself.

Keep visualizing...

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. AP ignores what Prodi actually says

In an piece for "Le Monde", Prodi says:

Mon programme de politique étrangère, dont l'objectif est de restaurer la participation active de l'Italie dans les affaires mondiales, est fondé sur trois principes : une Europe forte et unie, une alliance solide avec les Etats-Unis et une ouverture sur les problèmes du globe, notamment les crises qui constituent des menaces pour l'ensemble d'entre nous, avec une approche multilatérale concertée.

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3232,36-760745,0.html

Ironically, this was written in English by Prodi (he's fluent, and studied in the US), and translated for Le Monde. But I can't find the original in English anywhere. The best coverage comes from the Chinese state news agency:

"After a government short on political substance and long on media activity, Italy shall move on again ... Its foreign role and contribution must be resumed with vision, steadfastness and realism if it wants to do its share and avoid being cut off from the active participants in world affairs," Prodi wrote in a guest column in the French newspaper Le Monde in its Thursday edition that published Wednesday afternoon.

Italy's foreign policy program would be based on three tenets: "A strong united Europe, a firm alliance with the United States, openness to world problems in a concerted multilateral approach, above all to the crises that threaten us all," he wrote.

"I intend to devote my energy and my government's initiatives to work towards eliminating the tensions that arose among the Europeans and with our American allies," he added.

"I firmly believe that global peace and stability require a strong Euro-American strategic partnership, not just ad hoc coalitions," said Prodi, former president of the European Commission.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/13/content_4417419.htm

[no_hypocrisy]

18. Here we go: Freedom Noodles n/t

[CTyankee]

19. Italy has got to profit mightily from American tourism

I regularly get a ton of large, glossy brochures from tour companies and they run tours all over Italy month after month after month. And it's expensive. My Smithsonian art tour in November is going to top out over $3,000, not counting many of the meals.

I am on a 4 year plan to visit everyplace in Italy that I dreamed of seeing, now that I am semi retired.