International Relations Activity

European Union Maritime Security Strategy Round-table

Recently this summer, Dr. Oreste Foppiani, Associate Professor of International History & Politics and Head of the Department of International Relations, participated in a high-level round-table on Stability and Security of the Mediterranean Sea, as part of the ongoing European Union Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS). Dr. Foppiani participated in and spoke at the Rome event because of his current research focusing on the global refugee and migration crises as well as the fight to disrupt human trafficking in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Foundation Konrad Adenauer Rome and the Center for Near Abroad Strategic Studies (CeNASS) co-organized the round-table, which took place at the Italian Navy Officers Club in the Italian capital.

Among the discussants, there were also Amb. Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Karoline Kanter, Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Vice Admiral Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte, former Military Representative of Italy to the NATO and EU Military Committees, Mr. Paolo Quercia, Director of the CeNASS and Adjunct Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of Perugia, and Rear Admiral Jürgen Ehle, Head of the Military Policy Department of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the EU.

Professor Foppiani is also a former political advisor (POLAD) to Vice Admiral Enrico Credendino, Commander of the EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia.

45th ICMH Congress - Sofia

On August 18‒23, Dr. Oreste Foppiani, Associate Professor of International History & Politics and Head of the Department of International Relations, participated in and spoke at the 45th Congress of the International Commission of Military History (ICMH). The 2019 congress, which took place in Sofia and was organized by the Bulgarian Commission of Military History chaired by Prof. Col. Dimitri Minchev, focused on the “Unsettled Problems after the 1919 Peace Conference: Military Conflicts and Diplomatic Negotiations” (http://www.bcmhll45.com/en/).

Dr. Foppiani presented a paper on “Italy’s Aspirations in the Adriatic Sea in the aftermath of WWI: Impromptu Intelligence and Naval Diplomacy.”

The congress, held under the patronage of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Krasimir Karakachanov, saw the participation of over eighty panelists and one hundred attendees.

Research Seminar at Pope Luciani Center in Santa Giustina, Belluno, Italy

On July 12‒13, 2019, Dr. Oreste Foppiani, Associate Professor of International History & Politics and Head of the IR Department, participated in and spoke at the research seminar on “Processi, istituzioni e politiche nell’Italia contemporanea” , at Pope Luciani Center in Santa Giustina, Belluno, Italy.

Dr. Foppiani, who was also a member of the seminar’s scientific committee, presented a paper on “Libia tra Italia e Francia nel 2011‒2019.”

This event benefited from the patronage of different universities such as those of Siena, Chieti-Pescara and Padua, as well as the standing group “Politica e Storia,” the Società Italiana di Scienza Politica, and the refereed journal Diritto Pubblico Comparato ed Europeo. It was also an opportunity to discuss the phenomenon of neo-populism(s) with Dr. Paolo R. Graziano, Professor of Political Science at the University of Padua. Dr. Graziano presented his latest book on Neopopulismi. Perché sono destinati a durare (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018).

Dr. Michelangelo De Donà (Università degli Studi di Pavia) and Dr. Daniele Trabucco (Istituto di Neuroscienze Dinamiche “E. Froom” di Bellinzona) coordinated the whole seminar in cooperation with the Diocese of Belluno-Feltre and Pope Luciani Center.

Round-table on EU Elections

On May 27, 2019, the IR Department in cooperation with the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies organized a round-table discussion on "The EU Elections: Populism, Nationalism, and the 'New Europe'."

The discussants were Dr. Oreste Foppiani, Associate Professor of International History & Politics and Head of the IR Department, and Dr. Cees Heere, Post-doctoral Researcher at the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies.

The event represented an opportunity to discuss the turnout of the EU Parliament elections with two scholars involved in research projects on the EU-US relations and the multi-faceted migration and refugee crises in the Mediterranean Sea.

According to Ms. Kilinoe Garcia, undergraduate student at Webster University Geneva, “It was a small group of participants, but everyone there attended out of pure interest in the subject, and I appreciated the informal aspect of it, making it feel more like a discussion, more engaging. Even the Q&A session was a great chance to add to the subject, for the speakers to give their opinions on topics that they had not thought of earlier. It was also short, so it did not drag on; it was long enough to get information, but too much for us to lose interest. Even after the event, we had the chance to mingle and meet some interesting people, and I am not just referring to the speakers, but even the audience members had interesting lives. I hope to have a similar event in the future, but on a different topic.”

Admiral De Giorgi interviewed by Avvenire

Admiral Giuseppe De Giorgi, Adjunct Professor of International Security at Webster University Geneva and former Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, recently granted an interview to the daily newspaper Avvenire on the issue of the undocumented migrants to be rescued in the Mediterranean. The experienced flag officer stated that the “Coast Guard should still cooperate with the NGOs in order to protect all lives in distress at sea.” In addition, “Coast Guard personnel engaged in daily SAR operations should be fully supported by everybody.” To read the full article (in Italian) click here.