Description: Italy's Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century: The New Assertiveness of an Aspiring Middle Power, edited by Giampiero Giacomello and Bertjan Verbeek, fills a gap in the middle powers literature in general because of its focus on Italy. Relying on insights from foreign...
Review Quotes:
""Understanding middle-sized powers is the most important challenge facing analysts of foreign affairs. Such countries not only make the difference between the success and failure of 'coalitions of the willing'; they also provide leadership and initiative where greater powers fail to act. Italy is a case in point. As this collection edited by Giampiero Giacomello and Bertjan Verbeek shows, Italy has built significant relationships--not just with the United States and the other countries of Europe, but in crucial hot-spots like Lebanon, Libya, and Iran. Italy also played important roles in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo. The challenge is to understand when Italy will act and when it will retreat into the background. International conditions create the context, but domestic politics provides both the motivation and constraint. Giacomello and Verbeek's collection offers essential insight into the operation of Italian foreign policy. It should be read not just by those interested to learn about Italy, but also by anyone who seeks to understand the role of middle-sized powers in current affairs." --Erik Jones, Johns Hopkins University" --Erik Jones, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
""This volume offers the first comprehensive analysis of Italy's foreign policy as a 'middle power.' Its updated analysis of usually dismissed facets of Italy's foreign policy makes the volume necessary reading for scholars and practitioners in the field." --Piero Ignazi, Università di Bologna" --Piero Ignazi, Università di Bologna "Italy's Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century: The New Assertiveness of an Aspiring Middle Power is recommended reading for scholars, practitioners and citizens interested in Italy's international affairs. In fact, it is not only a valuable contribution to the study of Italian foreign policy as a promising strand of research, but also an important effort to encourage a much needed debate on Italy's international agenda inside and outside the country." --The International Spectator