In the beginning Italy and the US got along really well. The relationship between them was described as"strong". When Mussolini gained power in Italy, the relationship began to deteriorate. The United States tried to keep the relationship steady by congratulating Mussolini on his early achievements. This ended quickly. For 2 years from 1941-1943 Italy was at war with the US. The US viewed it as a war with Mussolini, not Italy. The relationship Between the two countries had completely deteriorated after Italy invaded Ethiopia. Around this time was when the United States began practicing isolationism.
When World War two ended, the US occupied Italy until they voted on a referendum to create a republic.The US helped Italy form the republic and transfer from a monarchy to a republic in 1946. Because of the US helping Italy with their transfer, the relationship would slowly come back together. The year after the transfer, Italy signed a peace treaty with the Allies. America continued to help Italy by loaning them $100 million dollars to pull them out of their bad economic state.
During the 1990's and 2000's, the United States and Italy cooperated as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) partners on issues like the Gulf War, Lebanon, and the Middle East peace process. The United States stationed 13,000 of our military personnel in Italy to help with protection. Because America had constant examples of kindness, Berlusconi and his cabinets had a strong tendency to support American foreign policies. With Berlusconi in office, Italy became a solid ally of the United States because of his support in the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq war following the 2003 invasion of Iraq in the War on Terror. Italy deployed about 2,300 troops to southern Iraq to assist the US.
Later, the prime minister of Italy promised to withdraw every Italian troop from Iraq, saying it was a "grave mistake". This did not affect the relationship between the US and Italy. The Still belong to many of the same organizations and share many of the same views on issues. Many of the nations they were both included in are the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, G-20, G-8, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. Italy also is an observer to the Organization of American States.
Today Italy and the US still see eye-to-eye on important issues. Italian troops were never pulled from Afghanistan. They had over 4,000 troops placed in Afghanistan, and it was reported only 50 of their men had died. The Italian troops fought willingly side by side with American troops. Like any relationship, the US and Italy had their ups and downs, but for now remain committed.
sources: www.thehoya.com/news/italian-ambassador-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy%E2%80%93United_States_relations
http://www.cfr.org/region/italy/ri370
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