George Soros, international financier, wrote "perhaps the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the world today comes from the formation of unholy alliances between government and business. This is not a new phenomenon. It used to be called fascism."

This is more true in Italy than possibly in any other country. Tycoon media baron Silvio Berlusconi has become again the new Italian Prime Minister by forming a coalition government comprised of his party Forza Italia, the separatist Lega Nord and the neo-fascist party of the Alleanza Nazionale.

Silvio Berlusconi threw himself into politics when, indebted by some 24 billion dollars, he realized he could not influence the political class any more. Therefore, he formed the new party Forza Italia in 1993 under the well known globalization slogan "politics of efficiency" and became Prime Minister for the first time in 1994. Since the early 90's, Berlusconi has been incessantly fighting both rumors of corruption and fraud convictions.

Our G8 hegemonic governmental leaders will meet in Genoa, Italy, July 20-22. There will be thousands of organizations protesting this meeting and therefore in order to ensure the peaceful unfolding of this G8 meeting, Berlusconi has strategized a defense system which includes the deployment of missiles against eventual terrorist attacks, and the setting up of a temporary morgue in a hospital. Also, the 'we win or die' paratroopers of the Brigata Folgore have been placed on stand-by.

We were not successful in the late 60's and early 70's to export democracy to Vietnam, and now our governments are progressively getting better in defending our hegemonic democracies at home, yesterday in Quebec City, today in Genoa, next year in Ottawa.

Some References

Biography of Silvio Berlusconi, This article is an undergraduate student work done in conjunction with the course Social Change and Development 333: Social Change in a Selected Area: Italy, which is taught at the University of Wisconsin--Green Bay http://www.uwgb.edu/galta/333/bios98/berlusc.htm

16 months behind bars - but free. An excerpt "A suspended 16-month prison sentence is the latest dip in Mr. Berlusconi's fortunes. A Milan courtroom has provided the backdrop for the latest installment in the dramatic career of Silvio Berlusconi, who has gone from media tycoon to prime minister to convicted lawbreaker in less than four years." BBC News, December 3, 1997 http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/newsid_36000/36823.stm

Berlusconi Gets 2d Conviction in Week, By Alan Friedman, International Herald Tribune, July 14, 1998 http://www.iht.com/IHT/ECON/98/af071498.html

Morgue set up for G8 summit. Unprecedented violence anticipated, Julian Coman and Robert Fox from The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday 15 July 2001 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/010715/5016752.html