The Diplomat in Spain

Augusto Manzanal Ciancaglini

Political expert

At least as regards its foreign policy, Italy started 2018 with clear ideas: after the opening of its embassy in Niamey, a mission in Niger is being formalized with 470 forces and that of Libya is being rounded to 400.

Having said that, in Niger, Rome turns up with a mission of Security Force Assistance, since France continues to be the unquestionable leader in the area. Nevertheless, it is in Libya where the will to be erected as a regional power is growing inexorably.

Therefore, the centre of attention will be in those territories closer to the mare nostrum; Lebanon, where Italy will be present through the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), the unilateral mission in Kosovo or the training and support tasks of the Tunisian troops are other things proving that the increase of Rome’s prominence in the Mediterranean is already significantly quantifiable: more presence of Italian military in this area to the detriment of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even maintaining ambiguous stances in different contexts, the explicit support to the Libyan government recognized by the UN or to the government of Abdelfatah Al-Sisi in Egypt, are the proof of the flourishing weight that Rome can have in the “expanded Mediterranean”; both in a key piece of the area and in a historically undeniable bilateral relationship.

Angelino Alfano, Foreign Minister during the Governo Gentiloni, had already remarked that Africa is an “absolute priority in the Italian foreign policy”. For his part, Paolo Gentiloni, accepting the instability of Italy’s domestic policy, emphasizes its stable international policy: “An Atlantic and pro-European country projected to dialogue with the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa”.

Rome presents a more and more dynamic military labour in the southern Mediterranean, both at the request of the EU and NATO, but the development of the diplomatic activity does not fall behind; in 2016, Rome held the first ministerial conference Italy-Africa, in which representatives of 52 African countries participated. This adds to other existing forums such as the Union for the Mediterranean or the Dialogue 5+5.

In addition, official visits to many of these States have been intensified. Only in the last month of 2017 and the first one of 2018, the Foreign Minister was in Libya, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, Tunisia and Algeria.

There is no doubt that Africa has come back strong to the Italian political debate, given that it is the continent from where most of the migrants arriving to the Italian coasts are (of the 10 countries contributing the most, 9 are in the black continent). Meanwhile, the main recipients of the Italian direct investment flows are also there (the first eight of the list by order are: Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria and Angola).

The centre on Africa aspires to strengthen and extend business relations while trying to contribute to the continent’s development and, therefore, mitigate the migratory pressure. For that, the deployment of mechanisms that improve the economic diplomacy, the industrial policy and the financing of projects of Italian companies abroad is fundamental. All that without neglecting the security policy that urges to take responsibility, along with other countries, for the southern border of the European Union.

Italy has seen the opportunities in the Mediterranean region and, although insufficient, it has put a series of policies on the table to give coverage to the economic expansion.

In short, the only way to avoid the nationalist absorption is through a global personal identity.

With this intention, it goes up within the European Union, it strengthens ties with France, it openly supports some Northern African countries such as Egypt, it presents sub-Saharan States such as Niger and it maintains certain ambiguity in the relations with Russia and Turkey.

27/03/2018. © All rights reserved.