Italian News

The recent deadly earthquake that struck near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, occurred near my ancestral home town of Villamagna, in the Province of Chieti. Although it was felt in Villamagna, my paternal grandfather's home town was far enough away to escape damage. The quake, which did damage even in Rome to the ancient Baths of Caracalla, was felt by the Pope, who recently toured the area of devastation. Please continue to pray for the victims.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has been actively engaged in the recovery efforts, as well as the restoration of the medieval treasures damaged by the temblor, recently announced that he would change the venue of the Group of Eight summit of industrialized powers Italy was hosting from Sardinia to L'Aquila, which besides allowing for better security and convenience for the guests, would provide an economic stimulus for the devastated area.

Berlusconi has been praised for his leadership on the earthquake, which is reflected in his high approval ratings in opinion polls. The pro-American leader announced he would be sending more troops to the NATO contingent in Afghanistan, although the size of the force was small, as with all the increased troops pledged by the NATO allies. Berlusconi had earlier resolved a disastrous sanitation strike in Naples upon taking office and also issued the order for the construction of a bridge from Italy to Sicily, which would be the world's longest.

Berlusconi probably received a further boost recently when the Italian automaker Fiat SpA agreed to partner with American automaker Chrysler in order to save the American company from liquidation. Fiat, which also owns Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati, will give Chrysler smaller, more fuel-efficient car technology and platforms, as well as access to the European market for Chrysler models like Jeep, in return for gaining reentry to the American market from Chrysler after an absence of many years. The Fiat deal is a sign of hope for both Italy and the United States, but it will be some time until its economic effects are felt.

It is important to the United States that the pro-American Berlusconi, who is serving as prime minister for the third time, be successful. Under Berlusconi, Italy has been a staunch ally in the War on Terrorism. Not only have the Italians cracked down on al-Qaeda, which had several cells in Italy, so successfully as to prevent any attack, but Italian provided significant forces to the coalitions of the willing in Afghanistan and Iraq. The standard is especially high this time for Berlusconi because his conservative party won an unprecedented majority in parliament with only two junior partners, unlike the usual multiple partnerships required in order to form a coalition government. The last time he was premier, he failed to make adequate reforms because moderate parties that were critical junior partners in his coalition blocked major reforms, although he was able to lower taxes. Let us hope that Berlusconi is successful in both political reform, as well as in shepherding Italy through the fiscal crisis and economic downturn which is affecting Europe worse than the United States. He must take advantage of his opportunity.