Italy Wants a Few Good Men Bad

Though Italy wants to try the four U.S. airmen involved in the death of 20 people at a ski lift, TIME Pentagon correspondent Mark Thompson says it's unlikely the Marines will be handed over. "Everywhere that U.S. troops are deployed, such incidents are covered by a Status of Forces Agreement. The agreement with Italy dates from 1951, and gives primary jurisdiction to the U.S."

The U.S. occasionally waives its jurisdiction, as in last year's case where three U.S. servicemen charged with raping an Okinawan girl were tried in a Japanese court. Such decisions are made at a government level, but Thompson believes it's unlikely that Washington will feel the same level of pressure as in the Okinawa case. "That doesn't mean the U.S. personnel involved will get away with it, if indeed they are responsible," says Thompson. "It simply means they'll face a military court-martial rather than an Italian court."