On June 28, 2002 President George W. Bush appointed Richard Greco, Jr. one of 13 White House Fellows. Mr. Greco serves the President in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The mission of the non-partisan White House Fellows program, as established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, is to develop America’s future leaders by giving Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and increasing their sense of participation in national affairs. Having a deep appreciation of Italy’s geo-strategic relevance for the United States, Mr. Greco has long been an advocate of strengthening the political, economic, and cultural ties between the two countries. The following is an excerpt from a speech he gave in 1997 at the Calandra Italian-American Institute of the City University of New York. His words are important now more than ever, post September 11, 2001.

by Richard Greco
TONIGHT I am going to speak about Italy and its growing relevance to the United States. I will not call attention to the Italy that we know and love – the Italy of art, architecture, fashion, and food. Rather, I will speak about the Italy we rarely hear about – the Italy that stood steadfastly with the United States during the conflict with Libya while its own territory was bombed in retaliation; the Italy that surpassed Great Britain as the world’s fifth largest economy; the Italy that is now leading a dangerous but successful international peacekeeping mission in Albania. In short, I will speak about the Italy of political resolve and strategic relevance.

I have three points to make.
1. At the end of the Cold War, the United States has an historical opportunity to lead the world in an era of international cooperation and peace;
2. The United States must seize this opportunity because the end of the Cold War has also exposed new threats of global conflict; and 3. The United States should reinvigorate its relationship with Italy, a loyal ally, whose political goodwill it may one day need to leverage for its own benefit and that of the world.

American’s victory in the Cold War eliminated communism and ushered in an era of peace and prosperity, but it also exposed threats and enemies that had lain dormant. Weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, trade tariffs, and nationalism each portend conflict. One need only remember the day in February 1993 when we learned that a bomb had exploded at the World Trade Center. Agents later uncovered a plot to bomb the bridges and tunnels of New York City. Terrorism is real, and it threatens our national security. Terrorists have new weapons based on biological and chemical processes that can kill millions of people in an instant, and the United States needs to be prepared.

The Gulf War provided a framework to deal with new threats using international coalitions bound by common interests. President Bush called upon many personal relationships he had wisely developed through his lifetime and especially during the early years of his presidency. He taught us that it is best to build relationships with friends when you do not immediately need them, so that when you do need them, they will be willing to respond. Now is the time to strengthen the relationships we have with our friends, not when new conflict begins to unfold. During the early part of the Cold War, Italy was – and was seen to be – a critical United States ally. Less well appreciated is that today Italy’s importance to the United States has, if anything, increased. I offer three reasons:

1. Italy is a competent and experienced coalition builder. After a national stock market pyramid scheme failed, Albania collapsed into civil chaos. Europe was helpless. An intense political debate in Italy nearly forced the government to resign, but the country resolutely responded by assembling a peacekeeping mission, delivering needed food and aid to Tirana. No other European country has ever conceived, designed, and led such a coalition. As a result, Italy is building unprecedented goodwill with its neighbors that the United States might one day need to leverage in order to convince a reluctant France or Germany to participate in a major international struggle. In addition, Italy has a wealth of experience in fighting organized crime, drugs, and corruption that the United States can use to fight its own similar problems.

2. Italy is stable and dependable. The only act of violence against Italy since World War II was Libya’s 1986 reprisal for the United States bombing raid on Tripoli. Italy restrained its response, forging further its friendship with the United States. The end of the Cold War has made obsolete Italy’s political system, long dominated by the corrupt Christian Democrats. Frequently the object of jokes about political instability, Italy is moving towards a viable, stable, bi-polar political system.

3. Italy is global. Italy is taking a lead in developing relationships with countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, building on foundations that are thousands of years old. The United States can benefit by leveraging Italy’s cordial relations with Libya, Algeria, Iraq and other countries in its own, often contentious, relations with the same countries. Mutual trade interests have inspired the foreign ministries of Iran and Italy to renew their dialogue, with the goal of controlling emergent terrorist forces. The United States could leverage Italy’s goodwill with Iran to reduce the threats of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

At the end of the Cold War, the United States faces a dilemma: Will it choose to remain engaged and actively lead a free and prosperous world, or will it instead choose to declare victory and focus its gaze inward. On the eve of the Gulf War in 1991 President Bush gave an answer: the United States would remain engaged as a model and servant of freedom and democracy. The election of President Clinton a year later on a domestic platform showed that many Americans had other ideas. How the United States resolves this dilemma – and it must – over the next ten years will affect history for the next one hundred. Whichever path the United States ultimately chooses, it would do well to strengthen its bi-lateral relationship with Italy, gaining for itself a unique and fruitful source of international leverage that it may one day need to use if and when global conflict re-emerges.

*NOTE: The views in this speech are the personal opinions of Mr. Greco as expressed in 1997. They are reproduced here in Mr. Greco's private capacity and do not represent any official views or policies of the United States.
Thank you.