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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSomething similar occurs in the area of security. Faced with responses focused exclusively on repression, the European experience can provide a perspective that articulates prevention, development, social participation, and respect for the rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A relationship that goes beyond the current juncture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe rapprochement between Latin America and Italy should not be understood solely as an alternative to the strategies of other powers. Its main strength lies in a shared history and in the possibility of building a less unequal partnership, with concrete interests for both parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nor does this approach respond solely to the political juncture. It recovers a dimension present in Italian foreign policy since the birth of the Republic and whose roots predate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long before Italy redefined its international role after the Second World War, part of its political leadership already considered Latin America a natural space for dialogue. This vision was not based solely on diplomatic or commercial interests, but also on the ties created by migrations, culture, law, and certain shared traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the millions of Italians who crossed the Atlantic between the end of the 19th century and a good part of the 20th century, Latin America was not just an economic destination. It was the place where they built new lives and communities that, over time, became part of Latin American societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From that experience emerged one of the distinctive features of the Italian approach toward the region: the idea that cooperation should not be based on a vertical relationship between donor and recipient, but on a partnership between societies linked by their history and capable of obtaining mutual benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From emigration to institutional cooperation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAt the beginning of the 20th century, the economist and future President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi defended an Italian presence in the world based on work, enterprise, and emigration, as opposed to the colonial logic prevailing in Europe. Latin America represented one of the main stages for this peaceful presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the Second World War, Alcide De Gasperi, head of the Italian Government between 1945 and 1953, saw in Latin America an important interlocutor for Italy’s return to the international community. Argentina occupied a central place due to the presence of millions of Italians and their descendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This vision gradually acquired an institutional structure. In 1949, the Italian Government promoted a diplomatic mission through the main Latin American capitals. In 1966, the Italo-Latin American Institute was created, today the International Italo-Latin American Organization (IILA<\/a>), which brought Italy and the countries of the region together in a permanent forum for dialogue and cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe value of this institution became evident during the Cold War. On a continent traversed by strong ideological divisions, Italy managed to maintain a space in which governments of very different tendencies participated, including Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Italian political crisis of the early 1990s weakened the continuity of this policy. Latin America began to receive more irregular attention, frequently subordinated to the priorities of each government. The Italy-Latin America and Caribbean Conferences, held since the beginning of this century, allowed a stable space for dialogue to be preserved, although they did not always manage to translate into a lasting strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From political rapprochement to a stable strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nToday, the international context once again offers favorable conditions to deepen this relationship. The agreements between the European Union and Mercosur, the affinities between the Italian Government and several Latin American leaders, and the economic potential of the region have restored relevance to the bond, both from a commercial and a geopolitical perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge consists of transforming this momentum into a sustained policy. For Italy, Latin America cannot become a diplomatic fad, nor can it regain importance only when the ideological balances of the region change. If the rapprochement depends on the affinity between certain governments, it runs the risk of disappearing with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of the 20th century, the economist and future President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi defended an Italian presence in the world based on work, enterprise, and emigration, as opposed to the colonial logic prevailing in Europe. Latin America represented one of the main stages for this peaceful presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the Second World War, Alcide De Gasperi, head of the Italian Government between 1945 and 1953, saw in Latin America an important interlocutor for Italy’s return to the international community. Argentina occupied a central place due to the presence of millions of Italians and their descendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This vision gradually acquired an institutional structure. In 1949, the Italian Government promoted a diplomatic mission through the main Latin American capitals. In 1966, the Italo-Latin American Institute was created, today the International Italo-Latin American Organization (IILA<\/a>), which brought Italy and the countries of the region together in a permanent forum for dialogue and cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The value of this institution became evident during the Cold War. On a continent traversed by strong ideological divisions, Italy managed to maintain a space in which governments of very different tendencies participated, including Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Italian political crisis of the early 1990s weakened the continuity of this policy. Latin America began to receive more irregular attention, frequently subordinated to the priorities of each government. The Italy-Latin America and Caribbean Conferences, held since the beginning of this century, allowed a stable space for dialogue to be preserved, although they did not always manage to translate into a lasting strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the international context once again offers favorable conditions to deepen this relationship. The agreements between the European Union and Mercosur, the affinities between the Italian Government and several Latin American leaders, and the economic potential of the region have restored relevance to the bond, both from a commercial and a geopolitical perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenge consists of transforming this momentum into a sustained policy. For Italy, Latin America cannot become a diplomatic fad, nor can it regain importance only when the ideological balances of the region change. If the rapprochement depends on the affinity between certain governments, it runs the risk of disappearing with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom political rapprochement to a stable strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n