Italy’s nuclear choices

Abstract

Italy’s military nuclear policy throughout the Cold War was an attempt to foster the country’s aspirations to a position of parity among the other European powers. The issue of its own rank and collocation in the international hierarchy of powers had been central in its foreign policy since the birth of the country, and the new generation of politicians that shaped Italian foreign policy after the Second World was no less aware of this critical factor than their predecessors. The nuclearization of NATO made it inevitable that only those countries which had access to nuclear weapons would ultimately make the crucial decisions for the future of the alliance. The Italian government reached the conclusion that its only way to a nuclear status of some sorts would be through a close cooperation with NATO and the USA. Between 1955 and 1959, the acceptance of US nuclear weapons on Italian soil eventually evolved into a pattern that formed the basis for Italian nuclear policies for the next 10 years or so. Italy was very reluctant to ratify the NPT and this led to a strong behind the scenes alliance with the other main Western European opponents, the Federal Republic of Germany and a wide ranging series of contacts with all the other possible opponents to the treaty, from Japan to India. In 1979, Italy accepted the new Euromissiles on its territory. Again, Italy considered nuclear weapons as its winning card and the tool has to be used to shorten the gap with the other major European partners. The crucial relationship with the USA goes a long way in explaining the rationale of Italy’s nuclear policies. Since the USA had become the key pillar of its international orientation, it was clear that hosting US nuclear devices was also seen as a way of forging a closer partnership. The ultimate goal of Italian foreign policy, equality of status among the Western Europeans, remained a mirage all along. Yet at the same time the fact that Italy was willing to shoulder some of the risks and burdens of the nuclear deployments were regarded by the other West European governments, and above all by the USA, as a sign of growing Italian responsibility.