As Europe grapples with political uncertainty and shifting geopolitics, Italy alone, among the EU’s three largest economies, stands out as the most politically stable with a popular Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. She remarkably grew her vote share in the recent European parliamentary elections and is set to exert comparable influence in continental matters. Her popularity, common sense, and conservative credentials make her a natural partner for the incoming Trump administration. Together, Washington and Rome may offer a needed ballast for a re-energized transatlantic alliance.

Italy’s strategic significance is self-evident. At the crossroads of the Mediterranean, it anchors NATO’s southern flank, serves as a gateway to Africa, and is poised to lead Europe’s engagement with the Indo-Mediterranean trade network. With Germany and France distracted by domestic divisions, geography, policy, and timing point to Rome and Washington as pillars of reinvigorated transatlantic solidarity buttressed by shared interests and perspectives.

Rome and Washington should capitalize on their natural alignment to pursue a robust agenda for mutual benefit. Four promising areas of strategic convergence stand out.

First, both countries should commit to deepening and expanding the growing structural ties between American and Italian industries. Between 2017 and 2023, the total value of U.S.-Italy trade surged from $64 billion to $102 billion. Since 2019, the United States has been a major destination for Italian foreign direct investment (FDI). American FDI in Italy has grown 14 percent during the same period, amounting to $29 billion. Around 6,000 Italian companies operate in the United States, employing approximately 300,000 workers, with the highest concentrations in New York and Florida. Key sectors attracting U.S.-Italy industrial co-investments include advanced manufacturing, energy, aerospace, life sciences, food, and beverages.

American financial firms like BlackRock and KKR hold substantial stakes in Italy’s banking, defense, energy, and telecommunications industries, among others. Amazon and Microsoft are expanding Italy’s role as a premier data center and hub for cloud infrastructure across Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and North Africa. Additionally, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and others have heavily invested in the Italian pharmaceutical industry. More recently, the inaugural U.S.-Italy strategic dialogue on space cooperation also points to a promising future of collaboration. The stage is set for significant growth in U.S.-Italy industrial cooperation and co-investment.

Second, Rome and Washington should substantially strengthen the U.S.-Italy defense partnership. U.S. defense manufacturers such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, and Northrop Grumman have a strong presence in Italy, while Italian firms like Fincantieri and Leonardo operate manufacturing facilities in the United States. This reciprocal relationship provides a solid foundation for Italy to demonstrate its credible commitment as a strong defense partner for America. Italy can bolster this partnership by meeting its NATO commitment of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense, with a clear timetable to increase this to 3 percent in the near future. Italy’s defense budget is set to rise by over 12 percent next year, a welcome step. Yet more is needed. Increased defense spending will benefit Italy’s industry while enhancing its standing in Europe, the United States, and with other allies, making Italy the premier NATO actor guarding the alliance’s southern flank. Italy’s defense manufacturers, with operations across the transatlantic space and an expanding footprint in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific, are also well-positioned to contribute to the security demands of the transatlantic and Indo-Pacific theaters.

Third, the United States and Italy should partner to link the free and open spaces of the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean-Atlantic to advance shared interests. Italy can reclaim its historical legacy as both the anchor of Indo-European trade and commerce and a pioneer in opening Western markets. Ancient Rome significantly expanded Greek trade with India—the “Golden Road”—dating back millennia. A Genoese explorer, Cristoforo Colombo, discovered America while looking for a shorter route to India. Today, Genoa, Italy’s premier national port, anchors its transatlantic trade with the Americas, while Trieste represents Europe’s best-situated port for connecting the Baltic to the Balkans with the resurging Indo-Mediterranean trade driven by India and the Middle East. The twin ports of Trieste and Genoa are poised to transform Italy’s influence by connecting the Indo-Pacific with the Mediterranean-Atlantic. The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), founded and led by an Italian ship captain, accounts for 20 percent of the global seafaring traffic—the largest in the world. MSC is poised to have the Mediterranean Sea scale new heights as the bridge between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.

Italy, after exiting its ill-advised partnership with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has repositioned itself to resuscitate the oldest and most consequential Indo-European trade routes, offering a more equitable, robust, and sustainable alternative to the BRI. Trieste, linking Europe’s industrial heartland to resurgent India and Gulf nations flush with resources, is central to shaping the trajectory of the “new Golden Road” connecting Indo-Mediterranean economies with transformative impacts across Central Asia and Africa.

Fourth, Rome is poised to play an increasingly important role in ensuring Europe and the United States remain aligned in confronting the China-Russia nexus. Meloni has been an effective bridge builder, working with Brussels and Budapest to ensure steadfast European support for Ukraine. Her mediating skills will be even more critical in reconciling potential tariff disputes between Washington and Brussels and forging a common cause against shared adversaries such as China and Russia.

In the coming weeks and months, Rome and Washington will recognize each other’s shared outlooks and priorities, paving the way for collective actions for mutual benefit. Their “America First” and “Italy First” sentiments are firmly seated in a strong and stable transatlantic alliance, making common cause against shared adversaries and threats. Rome and Washington have a generational opportunity not only to transform and strengthen their bilateral relationship but also to reshape the transatlantic alliance in their image. The Italian prime minister should invite the incoming president, Donald Trump, to make Italy his first European destination, launching an ambitious U.S.-Italy agenda that will cement the Trump-Meloni legacy for decades to come.

Kaush Arha is president of the Free & Open Indo-Pacific Forum and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. 

Paolo Messa is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and founder of Formiche. Follow him on X: @PaoloMessa.

Image: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.