Italy’s atlanticism between foreign and internal politics

Abstract

In spite of being a defeated country in the Second World War, Italy was a founding member of the Atlantic Alliance, because the USA highly valued her strategic importance and wished to assure her political stability. After 1955, Italy tried to advocate the Alliance’s role in the Near East and in Mediterranean Africa. The Suez crisis offered Italy the opportunity to forge closer ties with Washington at the same time appearing progressive and friendly to the Arabs in the Mediterranean, where she tried to be a protagonist vis a vis the so called neo- Atlanticism. This link with Washington was also instrumental to neutralize General De Gaulle’s ambitions of an Anglo-French-American directorate. The main issues of Italy’s Atlantic policy in the first years of “centre left” coalitions, between 1962 and 1968, were the removal of the Jupiter missiles from Italy as a result of the Cuban missile crisis, French policy towards NATO and the EEC, Multilateral [nuclear] Force [MLF] and the revision of the Alliance’ strategy from “massive retaliation” to “flexible response”. On all these issues the Italian government was consonant with the United States. After the period of the late Sixties and Seventies when political instability, terrorism and high inflation undermined the Italian role in international relations, the decision in 1979 to accept the Euromissiles was a landmark in the history of Italian participation to NATO. After the Cold War, Atlanticism emerged stronger than ever and in the last 15 years the participation of the Italian Armed Forces to military missions abroad has been a primary factor in enhancing the Italian status in international relations. For example two Italian Admirals have been elected Chairmen of NATO Military Committee, in 1999 and in 2008. There is no doubt that during the Cold War the importance of Atlanticism was paramount, as Italy boasted her friendship with the United States, hoping to obtain advantages from it. Italian governments valued the Atlantic Alliance not only for its fundamental military purpose, but also for its importance for the internal political stability. In spite of all her limits and considering both the strictly military and the political aspects, Italy more than other Mediterranean allies, was a sure pillar of NATO.