For over seventy years, Italy has been one of NATO’s staunchest allies, actively contributing to allied policy and operations within and outside of Europe. Initially seen as a liability, Italy slowly turned into an indispensable asset on the Alliance’s southern flank. Italy’s support of NATO reflects first and foremost the strong bilateral bond with the United States. Persisting economic and social difficulties, the fear of being marginalized by France and Germany (particularly after the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union), the growing assertiveness of other regional and global powers in areas geographically and historically close to Italy, as well as the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on European and Mediterranean security have kept the Alliance at the centre of Italian national security policy.
Ratti, L. (2024). Italy. In Mark Webber James Sperling (a cura di), The Oxford Handbook of NATO (pp. 704-718). Oxford : Oxford University Press.
Italy
Luca Ratti
2024-01-01
Abstract
For over seventy years, Italy has been one of NATO’s staunchest allies, actively contributing to allied policy and operations within and outside of Europe. Initially seen as a liability, Italy slowly turned into an indispensable asset on the Alliance’s southern flank. Italy’s support of NATO reflects first and foremost the strong bilateral bond with the United States. Persisting economic and social difficulties, the fear of being marginalized by France and Germany (particularly after the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union), the growing assertiveness of other regional and global powers in areas geographically and historically close to Italy, as well as the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on European and Mediterranean security have kept the Alliance at the centre of Italian national security policy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
