Italian military presence in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion

The article examines the military presence of Italy in the Greater Mediterranean and the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion as its part. Within the framework of the Yalta-Potsdam system, Italy refrained from deploying its armed forces abroad, but the situation at the end of the XX century has changed. The article scrutinises the main factors that have caused Italy's interest in expanding its military presence in the Mediterranean, such as the need to strengthen its own positions within the EU, the migration issue, the need for energy resources, and the development of infrastructure projects. Limited material resources, as well as membership in the EU and NATO, determined the nature of the regional activity of the Italian forces: Italy in most cases does not conduct its own large operations. Rome commits to international missions thus protects its own interests, fulfills its international obligations to the EU and NATO, and demonstrates its value as a member of the international community. Nevertheless, Italy's integration into the EU and NATO also imposes certain limitations on Rome's ability to pursue an independent foreign policy and consistently defend its own national interests in the region: events in Libya in 2011 evidenced that Italy had to adapt.

italy, foreign policy, Eu, nato, mediterranean