Thursday, June 14,

Prodi to Bush: Thanks for Rise of Teaching of Italian in US Schools

The ANNOTICO Report

 

[PREFACING NOTE: Prodi expressed pleasure to Bush at the rising number of US schools teaching Italian as a second language. It is extraordinary to me that Prodi even knew about the fact, and even more so that he would make a point of referring to matters in the US that affected Italian Americans principally. I am not familiar with many instances where Italian PMs have shown any concern for Italian Americans interests. Maybe one day, an Italian PM would be willing to raise the issue of the US Media's Negative portrayals of Italian Americans. Yes, it CAN be done!] 

 

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi while campaigning against Berlusconi last year, constantly criticized Berlusconi's zealousness for currying favor with Washington, saying it proved Berlusconi lacked independence of Bush.

 

Yet both Bush and Prodi, while not Friends, Felt they Needed each other,  Embraced and Exchanged Praises.

 

Prodi has pursued required EU tough fiscal reform policies that include raising taxes while calling for governmental belt-tightening, but it has lost him support among average Italians.

Bush's need for Prodi is obvious: With the end of Tony Blair's government in the UK near, and the number of US allies in the Middle East steadily diminishing, Washington can hardly afford to alienate one of the few major countries that - while no longer an unbending ally as it was under the bulk of Berlusconi's government - is at least willing to consider US needs.

What Prodi gets from Bush is more difficult to understand, except that Italians still love the US, almost as much as they dislike Bush. So Prodi felt that he could not risk being seen anti-American rather than anti-Bush.

In my humble opinion, he had NO such risk, and had much to gain by politely "lecturing" Bush. Missed Opportunity!!!!

 

Bush, Prodi: Embattled Leaders Embrace

Not the closest of friends, Bush and Prodi put aside their differences and exchange public praises as the two leaders, both suffering in public opinion polls, decide they need each other.

ISN - Zurich,Switzerland
International Security Network 

Center for Security Studies 

Commentary Eric J Lyman in Rome
Thursday, 14 June 2007

Thousands protested in the streets of Rome while US President George W Bush and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi met in the Italian capital on Saturday. Both men's approval levels at home have been eroding dangerously, and each leader had maintained a much stronger relationship with the other's predecessor than with the man sitting across from him. Yet Bush and Prodi clearly need each other.

Demonstrations in Piazza Navona nearly turned violent, as police in riot gear fired tear gas into crowds of demonstrators protesting the war in Iraq. Other protesters clogged traffic on Via Nazionale - a street named to celebrate Italian independence - carrying banners proclaiming that Italy had become little more than a political colony to Washington.

Bush and Prodi have plenty of reasons not to get along.

In addition to the strong relationships between Bush and billionaire media tycoon and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, Prodi's bitter rival, and between Prodi and Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton, Bush and Prodi differ on the issue of global warming, the war in Iraq and policies toward Russia and Iran.

Italy has a standing extradition request for a group of CIA agents accused of illegally abducting an Egyptian cleric from the streets of Milan four years ago, and the trial of US soldiers implicated in the shooting death of an Italian spy in Baghdad will soon begin. Prodi's government collapsed in February, ostensibly because of the prime minister's support of the US-led war in Afghanistan.

But inside the Palazzo Chigi on Saturday, both men used every opportunity to brush aside their differences and praise the other's achievements.

Bush praised Prodi for Italy's role in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Kosovo; Prodi complimented Bush's leadership in those areas and even went as far as expressing pleasure at the rising number of US schools teaching Italian as a second language. In a 24-minute joint address to the Italian media, the word "friend" was pronounced nine times; "thank you" 19 times. In an unusual move for a public meeting between heads of state, Prodi used the informal word for "you" - "tu" - in addressing Bush, while Bush issued a standing invitation for Prodi to come to Washington "any time."

"Our relations are pretty darn solid," Bush concluded.

Bush's need for Prodi is obvious: With the clock ticking toward the end of Tony Blair's government in the UK, and the number of US allies in the Middle East steadily diminishing, Washington can hardly afford to alienate one of the few major countries that - while no longer an unbending ally as it was under the bulk of Berlusconi's government - is at least willing to consider US needs.

What Prodi gets from Bush is more difficult to understand.

While campaigning against Berlusconi last year, Prodi and his proxies constantly criticized Berlusconi's zealousness for currying favor with Washington, saying it proved Berlusconi lacked independence. In the eyes of Italians, Bush is inextricably linked to the hugely unpopular war in Iraq, and, as a result, the US president's approval level in Italy - in the mid-20s in most polls - is one of only a handful that is even lower than Prodi's.

But behind those numbers is another number: Italians still love the US, almost as much as they dislike Bush. Icons of American culture like films, music, television programs and fashion are as popular as ever in Italy. Italians travel to the US more than to any other country outside Europe, and the historical links between the nations are hard to avoid. So, part of the reason Prodi looked beyond his issues with Bush was because he could not risk being seen anti-American rather than anti-Bush.

The other reason is that Prodi needs friends as much as Bush does. Since taking office last year, Prodi has pursued tough fiscal reform policies that include raising taxes while calling for governmental belt-tightening. The strategy has for the most part won praise from economists but has lost him support among average Italians.

In local elections held last month - the first national vote since Prodi himself was elected in April 2006 - Berlusconi's opposition parties gained significant ground on Prodi's battered forces. And as the perception grows that Prodi's days in office may be numbered, some European leaders have begun keeping their distance from the Italian leader in some areas.

Bush, meanwhile, remains one of a small handful of high-profile world leaders whose can decide how to conduct relations with Rome without worrying much about complicated internal Italian matters. That luxury, for the beleaguered Prodi, must seem attractive indeed

Eric J Lyman is ISN Security Watch's correspondent in Rome.

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/

sw/details.cfm?id=17722

 

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:

Italia USA: http://www.ItaliaUSA.com [Formerly Italy at St Louis] (7 years)

Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com (3 years)

 

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net