From an editorial called “Bonsai” by Sebastiano Messina of La Repubblica, May 20, 2007 (my translation):
The resignation
“Every so often we receive news that makes us understand the difference between Italy and the rest of the world. One recent bit of news is the resignation of Paul Wolfowitz as the president of the World Bank. He was the head of probably the most powerful financial institution on the face of the planet. Bush's former "architect" in Iraq was forced to leave his position after he had transferred his lover from one position to another in the bank and with one hefty pay-raise too (she was already a consultant at the same bank and would have eventually even given the bank's president advice).
Now, for us Italians a story such as this one is totally incomprehensible. It’s incomprehensible for the simple fact that our powers-that-be have always had the sacred right of placing their wives, kids, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces where they feel like it: in the parliament, in regional councils, at the RAI (the state-run tv network) or even in Strasbourg. And above-all, these very same people never resign: I'm not talking about on suspicious grounds, I'm talking about resigning after a definitive condemnation to six years in jail. No, not even that.
The real fault that Wolfowitz has had is that of being an American. Here in Italy, someone like him would still be firmly in his place. He'd be criticised for something or the other, but for a totally different reason: for a pay-raise, and that's about it”.
According to Transparency International, Italy, along with Poland, is one of THE most corrupt nations in Europe. I can honestly attest to the fact that after 18 years of living in Italy, something like Paul Wolfowitz happening in the upper echelons of Italian politics and finance is TOTALLY unthinkable. In fact, a famous Italian author once said: "Who in Italy ever goes to jail" (only poor sods like African or Albanian drug-pushers, but that’s about it)?
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