Letters
Letters to the Editor •
Those anti-capitalist mayors who owe everything to capitalism
Who wrote to the editor-in-chief, Claudio Cerasa
22 SEP 26
Translated by AI
The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni (Photo: LaPresse)
To the Editor – After the German elections. This now recurring fascination amongst wealthy cities with the sort of anti-capitalism typical of occupied secondary schools, backed by external Islamic support, will be a subject for psychoanalysis by future generations. Meanwhile, there they are, surrounded by endless provinces that are even prepared to vote for the Nazis rather than see them in government. And then people say that at a certain age, you go and live in the countryside.
Andrea Minuz
To then see anti-capitalist mayors penning scathing tweets against globalisation on their smartphones – which found their way into their homes thanks to capitalism and globalisation – whilst governing cities whose prosperity also depends on companies’ ability to compete on the world stage, is priceless. Hasta la ridicolaggine, siempre.
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To the Editor – There has been much talk recently about the number of American troops that Trump might withdraw from Europe, but far less about the fact that the entire European military system was built on the assumption that the United States would be there to back it up. Intelligence, satellites, reconnaissance, communications, strategic transport, in-flight refuelling, electronic warfare, long-range strike capabilities and logistics are just some of the American capabilities without which European armies would lose a substantial part of their effectiveness. And this is where the American presence, with Trump in the White House, could become a problem. Washington might only need to scale back or make the deployment of some of these capabilities conditional to influence the outcome of a conflict. The Kremlin’s dictator knows that he would be highly unlikely to face the whole of NATO, at least in its current form. And, deep down, he is already convinced that, in a given crisis, the Europeans would not be certain of American intervention. This is why I find it insufficient to speak generically of ‘European rearmament’. Europe must have a genuine European army, not merely twenty-seven armies that cooperate when they manage to reach an agreement. It must independently develop satellites, intelligence capabilities, transport, air defence and missile defence, ammunition, long-range missiles, electronic warfare, infrastructure, command structures and shelters for the population. And, of course, it must engage in serious reflection on nuclear deterrence. And then there is artificial intelligence, which is already becoming a weapon. Warfare also involves the manipulation of information, and Europe must start with schools. We need training courses for teachers and tools to teach young people to recognise fake news, propaganda, doctored images and videos, and content generated by artificial intelligence. A population that cannot distinguish an authentic document from one that has been artificially created is a vulnerable population and, paradoxically, one that is ready to vote for pro-Russian parties, perhaps in the belief that they will act in their own interests rather than in line with Putin’s aspirations. The European army, therefore, cannot be merely a matter of brigades and missiles. It must also be a matter of technological, political and – I would say almost above all – cultural autonomy. It is this, even more so than the fluctuations in German election results, that is the European vulnerability which concerns me.
Daniela Santus
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To the editor – When Sandro Mazzola scored twice against Real Madrid (in the European Cup final), he didn’t kick the corner flag, nor did he take off his shirt to show off his tattoos, nor did he form a human train with his team-mates. Only Facchetti joined him, holding out his hand as if they’d bumped into each other at a bus stop.
Vittorio Castelnuovo