Otto Lanzavecchia

The Italian political system is yet to take a clear stance on the events surrounding China’s tightening of its rule over Hong Kong. The two governing parties may have found themselves at odds yet again; the biggest, Five Star Movement, is reluctant to unequivocally condemn Beijing, while the smaller Democratic Party has sided with the European Union in critiquing it.…

Secondo l’ultimo report di Freedom House, il 2019 è stato il quattordicesimo anno di fila di declino della democrazia nel mondo. 64 Paesi hanno subìto un deterioramento di diritti e libertà civili, contro i 36 che hanno progredito. Questo accade principalmente, secondo l’organizzazione, perché forze nazionaliste e autocratiche continuano l’opera di marginalizzazione di minoranze etniche, religiose, e via discorrendo. Viste…

Quest’anno il Brussels Forum, la conferenza organizzata dal think tank German Marshall Fund, si svolge online; e come i partecipanti non hanno mancato di rilevare, non sarebbe stato possibile altrimenti. La nostra dipendenza dal digitale si è pesantemente accentuata in tempi di pandemia, che ha evidenziato come mai prima d’ora la necessità di sviluppare infrastrutture interconnesse, etiche, con un occhio…

Italy’s Five Star Movement is going through a rough period. Internal tensions are simmering and their relationship with their governing partners has never been rosy. On top of that, just last week an exposé by Spanish newspaper Abc alleged that in 2010 Five Star’s co-founder Gianroberto Casaleggio received funding from the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. The unconfirmed report rippled…

Concerns are floating in Italy as the Chinese seek to invest in yet another Italian seaport, that of the Southern city of Taranto, in Apulia. Ferretti Group, which is 86% owned by state-controlled Chinese industrial colossus Weichai Group, has recently expressed an interest for investing in Taranto’s naval hub. They are aiming to build a shipyard for the construction of…

Italians are warming up to China, but not unconditionally. A new report by IAI, the Italian Institute for International Affairs, show that 60% of Italians see an economic opportunity in the strengthening of relations with Beijing. A relative majority also thinks that promoting export should be Italy’s main focus – 29% of interviewees, more than double compared to 2017. Despite…

Following the brutal killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, US citizens have been protesting across the nation. They demand an end to racial inequalities and disproportionate police brutality – both epitomised by the events surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death. The viral video that sparked the first protests features the 46-year-old African American begging for air while a white officer’s…

Senator Matteo Salvini, head of Italy’s most popular party and leader of the opposition, has called for more pressure on China to take responsibility for its role in the diffusion of the Covid-19 pandemic. Referring to the trials held under international law to judge senior figures of the Nazi regime in the aftermath of World War II, Mr. Salvini voiced…