By Stefano Vaccara

A&I Weekly, or the America and Italy Review, is about the politics, economics and culture that Italy and the U.S. share. For those with particular interests in exploring what's going on between Italians and Americans, this is a publication to keep close at hand. This issue is only the second sample (the first came out on Columbus Day, 2002) of what we'll be offering weekly starting in September - thanks to the vision of our Publisher and the support of America Oggi.
Concerning the war, what side has the Italian government taken? America's? The Berlusconi government made clear that the line, "I'm with America even before I know what it is doing" was not just a line, but the policy of a government that saw America as "the bastion of liberty." That's the government’s position. What about Italy? Riotta and Zucconi, U.S. correspondents for Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica, tell us about the difficult and delicate job of informing Italian public opinion about the United States. Especially in these past few months their work has been extremely delicate, with Italy split in two regarding the war and the resulting regurgitations of anti-americanism, after it had toned down considerably due to September 11th.
Then there's the difficult subject that affected all believers one way or another, and not just them: the scandal of sexually abused children at the hands of some U.S. Catholic priests. The repercussions of these terrible sets of events are many. What was the reaction within the Italian-American community?
We tug at the heartstrings of yesterday's Italian history and its still devastating effects on continuing current politics. A ten year old story demands answers that for years to come will be hard to provide: We examine “Mani Pulite” and ten controversial years of trials with ex-Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, still under the gun. We met one of the protagonists of Mani Pulite when he was here in New York, Antonio Di Pietro, the judge who together with his colleagues in the “Milan Pool” put the political and business class of Italy under investigation: "If I could go back and do it over I'd do more than I did...” And together with Di Pietro’s account, we have another equally authoritative piece from Stanton Burnett, the American author of "The Italian Guillotine," the book that was the first counter-trend interpretation of the Mani Pulite phenomenon. And Giulio Andreotti's saga, trial upon trial upon trial, brought charges against the entire Italian justice system, not just the former Prime Minister.
Then we talk with Diana Bracco, the Vice President of Confindustria, about a thoroughly Italian phenomenon, the "fuga dei cervelli" or "the brain drain", and she gives Italy some healthy advice.
And Italian history becomes a mystery thriller, in an article about Mussolini and Clara Petacci. Philip Cannistraro, U.S. historian on fascism, shows that El Duce's last lover may have been much more important to Italian politics than we once thought. We go also to the latest IAM exhibit to view the amazing and forbidden images of life in a German Stalag Camp, taken by Italian-American POW survivor Angelo Spinelli.
In the theatre scene, Mario Fratti talks about his magnificent “Nine” and about musicals in general, while the true "Opera Nova" opinions of an expert are shared.
Then we learn about the secrets of Italian living no matter where you live. The secrets of the kitchen and everyday life are revealed in two books about how to enjoy “Italianness” and a way of life envied all over the world. We close with a celebration of the Italian Museum's second birthday.

Editor -in –Chief A&Iweekly