Just recently, Italian Journalist Giuliana Sgrena was released by her captors in Iraq. After her release, she and a hostage negotiator were fired upon by US troops for failing to stop at a road block. The negotiator was killed and Ms. Sgrena was wounded. This unfortunate accident has given birth to the terrible conspiracy theory that US troops were deliberately targeting Ms. Sgrena because she writes for a leftist paper.

In light of these facts there is something concerning Italian or even world politics in general about which I wish to comment. In the political science and history class I take here, in the books I read about Italian government, even in the current newspapers and periodicals the struggle between ideology and pragmatism is constantly addressed.

The American and British political and social systems have been dominated by a pragmatic approach: an insistence on consequences, utility and practicality as vital components of truth. This is not to say that ideology has not played an important role in these two nations; but not to the degree it has played in the vast majority of other European nations and the rest of the world in the last 250 years. Europeans have seen their histories determined if not plagued by ideological movements and conflicts. In Italy for instance, a so-called silent civil war corresponding with the Cold War raged between the conflicting ideologies of neo-fascists and communists. It is called "i anni di piombo" or the years of lead and was filled with bombings and political assassinations. Before coming here I failed to see how strongly the ideologies of the Cold War had affected other nations like Italy, Greece, and Chile, besides the dominant powers of the US and USSR. Ideology was seemingly at the heart of the majority of 20th century conflicts.

Unfortunately ideological battles have not ended with the Cold War. They continue concerning issues of globalization and international trade, and are at the heart of the conflicts in the Middle East. The recent war in Iraq has become the fulcrum of ideological battle as the Cold War once was.

Through my recent studies I have come to believe that ideology can be dangerous. Some may argue that pragmatism is too wishy-washy, that it lacks real convictions or an ethical framework, but in ideological approaches I see only inflexibility that will ultimately lead to conflict. Pragmatism develops a plan that addresses problems as they arise where as being ideological imposes a plan while disregarding the problems the plan will eventually cause.

So where am I going with all this? Did I just feel like submitting my next political science term paper to my blog today or do I actually have a point I am trying to make? What I really wish to say in this blog is that since the events of the terrible September 11 Attacks, the United States and the rest of the world have become far more ideological than they were just a few years before. Our ideologies have clearly and heatedly pitted Americans against each other as evident in the recent Bush/Kerry election. They have pitted The US against former allies especially in Europe. They have also given stronger voices to ideological and divisive forces like Michael Moore, Bill O'Reilly, and Ann Coulter in the US. Too often the education offered in American and European Universities is one of ideology rather than giving students the framework to be pragmatic. This change in the politics of the US is so clearly observed by Europeans perhaps because it reminds them of their own politics and the politics of everywhere else in the world. I did not as easily observe this change or put it into context until I looked at my country from outside its borders.

I hope this entry helps people who read it from the US and anywhere else realize the polarization that has occurred in our world. The blame for its occurrence should not be placed on any individual or group but perhaps on the violence, fear, and even the forced resolve that accompany the issue of terrorism. What people can do now to mend the divide is to shun ideology and pragmatically approach decisions. Ideology in the 20th century egged on genocide, gave excuses to terrorists, and cost countless lives. This young century although already plagued by violence and discord still gives us the chance to make things different.