The Prodi Government and Italy-US Relations: the Case for Optimism
The International Spectator 3/2006 Italian foreign policy survey The Prodi Government and Italy-US Relations: The Case for Optimism Jason W. Davidson* On 1 March 2006, Italys centre-right Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi addressed a rare joint session of the United States Congress. Speaking in the midst of a heated domestic electoral campaign, Berlusconi stressed Italys solidarity with the US, which he referred to as ≈ºthe beacon of liberty, of civil and economic progress∆.1 At roughly the same time, Oliviero Diliberto, leader of Italy»s far-left Italian Communist Party (PDCI, Comunisti Italiani), said of Berlusconi»s visit ≈[h]e went there to shake hands that are dripping with blood∆.2 While Berlusconi provided political support for the 2003 Iraq war and his government sent 3,000 Italians to assist the US and its allies after the cessation of formal hostilities, members of the centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi frequently expressed their view that the Iraq war had been a costly mistake. Given this contrast in statements and positions, many observers were concerned that the April 2006 victory of the centre left * Jason W. Davidson is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia. 1 ≈Joint Meeting of the House and Senate to Hear an Address by the Honorable Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy∆, Congressional Record 152 (March 1, 2006), H454. 2 D. Barnett, ≈Berlusconi flies back to domestic derision∆, Agence France Presse, 2 March 2006. © 2006 Istituto Affari Internazionali 92 The Prodi Government and Italy-US Relations: The Case for Optimism would negatively impact on relations between Italy and the US.
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