In an era of overlapping crises, the partnership between Italy and the United States is more than a legacy of the postwar order. It is a strategic asset for both sides of the Atlantic.

Geography explains much of it. Italy sits at the center of the Mediterranean, where instability in North Africa, the Middle East and the Sahel meets migration flows, energy routes and great-power competition. Bases such as Aviano, Vicenza, Naples and Sigonella give Washington a platform to project stability across three continents. In return, Rome gains a security guarantee that no European capital can provide alone.

The war in Ukraine has shown how much the transatlantic bond still matters. Coordinated sanctions, military aid and NATO deterrence on the eastern flank depend on allies who share burdens as well as values. Italy is a founding member of the Alliance and a major contributor to international missions. That gives it the credibility to act as a bridge between Washington and the European Union, especially when trade frictions or diverging priorities strain the relationship.

The partnership is also economic and technological. The United States is Italy's leading export market outside Europe. Cooperation in defense industry, space, semiconductors and energy diversification, from liquefied natural gas to critical minerals, reduces exposure to coercion by authoritarian rivals. When supply chains become instruments of pressure, trusted partners are a form of security. 

Yet the alliance cannot rest on habit. Italy must invest more in its own defense and speak with a clearer voice on Mediterranean and African affairs. The United States, for its part, should treat European partners as co-architects rather than followers. Shared democratic principles and the deep human ties of millions of Italian Americans make the relationship resilient, but resilience requires maintenance.

As crises multiply, the Rome–Washington partnership remains one of the anchors that keep the West coherent. Nurturing is not nostalgia. It is strategy.