Berlusconi and Bush Tread Softly in Texas

As one of the few European leaders to side with the Americans in the tense weeks before the Iraq war began, Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi arrived in the United States on Sunday fully aware of his standing with the president -- at least in relation to his fellow European Union counterparts. At the start of a two-day visit, the flamboyant Italian leader stepped from his helicopter into the hot, dusty sunshine to show the world that France and Germany are not Europe’s only powers.

Greeting the current president of the European Union with an enthusiastic handshake and a pat on the back, the importance of this man and his visit were obviously far from lost on President Bush. Berlusconi’s arrival is the perfect opportunity for Bush to show that not all of Europe is cool to his policies and that transatlantic relations remain strong even though France and Germany refused to back military action in Iraq.

Best friend No. 2

“This is Berlusconi's opportunity to cement his relationship as President Bush's second-best European friend” behind British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said John Hulsman, who specializes in U.S.-European relations at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, in an interview with CNN. “For Bush, it's paying back a bingo chip, as he's done with President Aznar of Spain and, of course, Tony Blair, first and foremost.”

But both Bush and Berlusconi know that playing a game of European politics together is one of those opportunities where the gaffe-prone leaders could make things worse rather than make them better. The further alienation of countries that have until recently been staunch allies could be catastrophic for both men in the future.

Bush continues to face tough questions at home over the Iraq war and the current state of that country under American occupation. It is a delicate time for the diplomats as the U.S. looks to its allies for help in the stabilizing, nation building and peace keeping operations that are to come. To distance the United States further from those who may be on hand to help could result in the U.S. being bogged down in Iraq for years without substantial international assistance.

Wary of Berlusconi

The president also knows that getting too cozy with Berlusconi could cause problems. The Bush administration cringed when Berlusconi alleged that Western civilization was superior to Islamic culture just two weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, at a time when the United States was trying eagerly to reach out to Muslims. “Western civilization is superior because it has at its core, as its greatest value, freedom, which is not the heritage of the Islamic culture,” Berlusconi said.

Meanwhile, Berlusconi's support for the president over the Iraq conflict softened their own tensions but consequently made him unpopular with Germany and France. The relationship with Germany has deteriorated further since Berlusconi told a German lawmaker in the European Parliament that he would recommend him for a role in a movie as a Nazi concentration camp guard on only the second day of his six-month term as EU president.

Diplomatic balancing act

With the simmering row with Germany over the trading of unseemly remarks still on the boil back on the continent, Berlusconi’s relationship with the United States and with Europe is a balancing act even the most skilled diplomat would consider a challenge.

However, the Italian prime minister is no fool. The possible pitfalls of an out-of-place word during this visit to the United States could blow not just his standing with George Bush but with the leaders he will have to deal with back in the EU.

Boring Berlusconi?

In an interview with Time magazine, scheduled to coincide with his arrival in the U.S., Berlusconi said that he is fed up with sparking off diplomatic rows with his unguarded comments and vowed that from now on he will try to be boring. “I'll try to soften it and become boring, maybe even very boring, but I'm not sure I'll be able to,” he said. Berlusconi tried to defend his incautious approach to rhetoric by adding, “I'm not a traditional politician and I have a sense of humor.”

At such an important time for both host and guest, George W. Bush will likely be hoping that Berlusconi reserves his comic repertoire for private discussions -- at least while he's in the United States.