Rome
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said this week that he tried “many times” to persuade President Bush not to invade Iraq. “I was never convinced that war was the best way to make a country democratic or to enable it to escape from a bloody dictatorship,” he said before leaving for a state visit to Washington. His opponents immediately dismissed the statement as an attempt to boost his flagging standing in the polls. Berlusconi, a staunch Bush ally, sent 3,000 troops to Iraq even though most Italians were opposed to the war. He faces re-election in the spring. Rival Romano Prodi, who says he will pull Italian troops out of Iraq if elected, is currently 10 points ahead in the polls.
Subscribe to 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.
-
China looms large over India and Pakistan’s latest violenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT Beijing may not have had troops on the ground. But as South Asia's two nuclear powers bared their teeth over Kashmir, China eyed opportunity in its own backyard
-
What's wrong with America's air traffic control systems?Today's Big Question The radios and radar keep going out at Newark International
-
8 splashy items to elevate any pool partyThe Week Recommends Fire up the snow cone machine, and turn on that outdoor movie projector
