Facts & Stories
“Pat Tiberi and Bill Pascrell have always been great supporters of Italy and have made major contributions to the relations between our country and the United States,” stated Ambassador Bisogniero.
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May 23 marks the 21st anniversary of the murder of the anti-Mafia Judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo and their three bodyguards, blown up by 500 kilos of dynamite on the highway between the airport at Puna Raisi and the city of Palermo. Most of those considered responsible are in prison. But what is believed to lie behind his murder, and that months later of his fellow magistrate Paolo Borsellino, is still being analyzed by Palermo magistrates investigating allegations that an illegal secret pact had been forged between the government and the Mafia. In the words of Palermo's chief prosecutor, Roberto Scarpinato, "We must take cognizance that the Mafia evil is not outside of us, but also among us."
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With seven women, the 21-member cabinet of Premier Enrico Letta vaunts the largest number of women of any Italian government in history. Emma Bonino is Italy's only second female Foreign Minister. Anna Maria Cancellieri holds the delicate post of Justice Minister. Two were born outside of Italy: Minister for Integration Cecile Kyenge was born in the Congo while Josefa Idem, the new Minister for Equal Opportunities, Sports and Youth, was born in Germany and holds 38 medals from world sporting competitions including the Olympics. Here they are, in profile.
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After the proclamation of Enrico Letta as the new Italian Prime Minister, Emma Bonino, a respected former European commissioner, was chosen as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her experience, long-lasting career, knowledge about world's problematics, courage and passion for her job are the characteristics that will guide her mandate.
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Aboard the omnibus government which the canny and youthful Premier-designate Enrico Letta has assembled, under the watchful eye of President Giorgio Napolitano, are 21 cabinet ministers. Most are fresh faces, and the new look is cause for optimism. Despite a smattering of old pols, there are gifted young politicians plus a few experts, if not always in the fields they are destined to govern. And there are the politically correct, who include more women than any Italian cabinet has ever before fielded. Cabinet support comes from Silvio Berlusconi's Freedom Party (PdL), Mario Monti's smaller centrist group Movimento Civico, and Letta's own Partito Democratico (PD).
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In his attempt to weld together governing partners so as to end over two months of dangerous political void, Premier Designate Enrico Letta, 46, of the Partito Democratico (PD) has called for a "slim and sober" cabinet that will hit the ground running. Letta was called upon to try to form a government only l7 hours after Napolitano's re-election to succeed himself as president. His program points for a "service government" reflect some of the advice put forward by the so-called "sages" appointed last month by President Giorgio Napolitano. If he succeeds, a new government is expected within the week.
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Election of a new president remained a will o' the wisp on Day Two of the vote. At 7 pm the joint parliamentary session was suspended after Romano Prodi received only 395 votes - 109 fewer than necessary to be elected to succeed Giorgio Napolitano. Behind Prodi was Stefano Rodota' with 214 votes and, farther in the distance, Anna Maria Cancellieri, who has been serving as Interior Minister under the emergency government of Mario Monti (78 votes), followed distantly by Massimo D'Alema (15). Tomorrow a new vote takes place, but at this point, no one is making any guesses as to the outcome save that new national general elections remain a serious risk, and an expensive prospect.
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On April 15 a joint session of Parliament, flanked by a delegation of members of regional assemblies, meets to begin the process of electing a successor to Giorgio Napolitano, 86,President of Italy for the past seven years. A year after he was appointed life Senator in 2005 by the then President, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, he succeeded Ciampi, taking office on May 10, 2006. His presidency culminates a fascinating career that spans nearly seventy years of Italian politics. Few would disagree that he has been an outstanding president and a figure of national pride. Especially during the past five years of economic crisis as challenging as the Great Depression of the Thirties, his fair-mindedness and the force of his personality have helped to bind Italy together.
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President Giorgio Napolitano has asked ten "sages" to elaborate a list of crucial issues around which the politicians should rally. But whatever they decide, it is a safe bet that Italy's magnificent cultural heritage will not be on their list. UNESCO considers the Italian cultural heritage the world's greatest single assemblage. And yet, as a new Eurostat report shows, Italian expenditures on maintaining that heritage amount to a mere 1.1% of its GNP as compared with the 2.2 average for the rest of Europe. This places Italy at the very bottom of the list of those European states protecting, and investing in, their cultural heritage. Archaeologist Salvatore Settis is the foremost authority protesting this.
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"Slow and Fast Thinking, Creativity and Rational Expectations." Three days organized by the Herbert Simon Society, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the Italian Academy (April 8-10) to reflect on the feasible alternatives to neoclassical economics and the doctrines that are at the basis of the present financial crisis. i-Italy interviews Riccardo Viale, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute and one of the founders of the Simon Society
