On 15 january 2025, a conference entitled ‘security and democracy: geopolitics of made in italy’ was held at the ‘prefetto carlo mosca’ conference hall of the scuola di perfezionamento per le forze di polizia (sfp). This meeting was organized by the ‘carlo azeglio ciampi’ spes academy (school of economic and social policy).
After the welcome speech delivered by the national police dirigente generale maurizio vallone, who welcomed the outstanding lecturers, professor de luca, director of the spes academy, opened the session and thanked the sfp for its hospitality and ongoing cooperation. Moreover, he stressed the importance of the topic under discussion and pointed out that security is a primary and unavoidable right, necessary for the exercise of all the other rights, as emphasized also by the constitutional court.
Professor de luca also pointed out that italy, due to its strategic geographical position in the heart of the mediterranean, plays a key role as a hub between the european union, africa and the balkans.
Then, Mr. Marco Minniti, President of the MedOr Foundation and former Minister of the Interior, took the floor. He gave a lectio magistralis on ‘Democracy and Security in the Age of Polycrisis’. He illustrated the current global challenges, represented not only by the wars but also by economic, cultural and systemic new scenarios, which have fully changed the previous world order without creating a new balance. He explained that relations between the States are now characterized by a mix of cooperation and competition, and that new diplomatic strategies need to be adopted to face the changed international situation.
He also underlined the need to establish relations with dictatorial and autocratic regimes, especially in the fields of energy and rare materials, through ‘demanding diplomacy’, which implies a balance between economic/strategic benefits and the demand for democratic changes by the regimes themselves. Furthermore, he addressed the issue of migration flows, emphasizing how the concept of ‘movements of people’ is now more correct than the traditional concept of ‘migration’, taking into account that “Millennials” already consider the whole world as their home.
President Minniti concluded by reiterating that without physical, social and environmental security, democracy cannot exist, as the latter is based on a social agreement aimed at granting part of individual freedom to the State, which is the only one able to guarantee collective security.
Afterwards, Prefetto Sempreviva, Chief of Staff of the Minister of the Interior, expressed reetings on behalf of the Minister as well as her thanks to Mr. Minniti for his lecture, thus reiterating the importance of security for the solidity of democracies.
Then, the SPES Academy students had the opportunity to ask questions to President Minniti, who further analyzed the topic of international relations, thus emphasizing the importance for Europe to support Africa’s economic and social development to ensure its prosperity.
Finally, Ambassador Pasquale Salzano concluded the meeting and recalled the importance of exports for the Italian economy, which today account for 40% of Gross Domestic Product, as well as the relevance of energy, demographic and technological issues for Italy’s competitiveness. He also underlined the need for a new world order, that should take into account the needs of the southern countries of the world, since it is fundamental to outline the new international scenarios.
President Minniti concluded the conference by recalling the words of the famous Dutch historian Huizinga who, in 1937, observing the problematic international relations of that time, had predicted the imminent catastrophe caused by the Second World War, and, in the first part of his famous book ‘The Crisis of Civilization’ had written: ‘We live in an obsessed world. And we know it’.
Then, the President emphasized that liberal democracies, today threatened by the many ongoing crises, can still survive only if they return to focus on the principles of truth, humanity, reason and law that have always represented their pillars.
