Italy is divided between us and them, rich and poor, north and south, young and old, employed and unemployed.

Italy knows it needs harmony.

After a government short on political substance and long on media activity, Italy shall move on again ... Its foreign role and contribution must be resumed with vision, steadfastness and realism if it wants to do its share and avoid being cut off from the active participants in world affairs.

Nobody can be rich and stupid for more than one generation.

But Italy can only have any real influence on world affairs if it carries weight in Europe.

Moreover, resolving the mother of all problems - the Israeli-Palestinian question - requires cooperation between Europe and the U.S.