RomaPolacchi

There is no doubt that the recent earthquake in Abruzzo was a disaster. But Silvio Berlusconi's response was swift and efficient, prompting hopes that Abruzzo's recovery will be possible. But past earthquakes in Italy have proven the country's government to be ineffective in keeping its promises and making sure that relief funds get to into the right hands. One of the reasons for this may be that Italy's government usually changes before anything serious can get done. Berlusconi's government is supposed to be in power for the next four years-hopefully that will be enough time to see some real results-and rebuilding in Abruzzo. Read more about it in the Economist .

After Prime Minister Berlusconi's Obama gaffe last week, the wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, told a French newspaper that "I'm very happy that I became French!" To this former Italian president, Francesco Cossiga (who is a supporter of Berlusconi), replied "We too are indeed happy that she is no longer Italian." The Washington Post reports that tonight Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi are attending a White House dinner for world leaders. Will sparks fly?

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi put his foot in his mouth on Thursday when he commented to Russia's President Medvedev that Barack Obama was "young, handsome, and suntanned." Italian newspapers and liberals are in an uproar, but Berlusconi says they lack a sense of humor. Berlusconi is not exactly known for his tact. Among many social and political gaffes, in the past he has compared a German European Parliament member to a Nazi concentration camp guard. Some say that this latest comment is just one manifestation of the underlying racism in modern-day Italy. Let's hope that the recent Catholic-Muslim summit at the Vatican and the election of Obama in the U.S. will help to eliminate that prejudice.