Italy
Barbara Spinelli
The Americans have no call to mock Italy, said Barbara Spinelli in Milan’s La Stampa. No sooner did we secure the release, through a prisoner swap, of an Italian reporter held hostage by the Taliban than American commentators were denouncing us as “spineless and unreliable.” Giving in to hostage takers is no way to fight terrorism, they lectured. Forgive us if we’re a bit confused. Prisoner exchanges happen all the time in wars. Besides, the real appeaser here isn’t Italy, or any member of NATO helping the Americans in Afghanistan. It’s America, which has continued to arm and support Pakistan despite evidence that Pakistan supports the Taliban and tolerates al Qaida. “This, then, is the result of so many years of war: Al Qaida’s headquarters has moved a few miles, from Afghanistan to Pakistan.” And the U.S. is the one looking “unreliable.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
