On February 12, 2014, ISET hosted the Italian Ambassador to Georgia, H.E. Federica Favi. The Ambassador gave a presentation about the historical challenges and choices that Italy faced following World War II.

Ambassador Favi began her presentation in 1945, a point when Italy lay ruins after the war. According to her, after WWII Italy faced three main challenges: the restoration of democracy, rebuilding its economy, and finding its place in the world. These challenges were further exacerbated by the issues of the status of ethnic minorities residing near the borders of Italy, the turbulent internal political situation, and the onset of the Cold War.

The Ambassador talked about how the abolishment of the monarchy, the decision to have a North-West oriented foreign policy, and the Marshall Plan helped Italy to deal with its problems. Ambassador Favi explained how Italy found a delicate solution to its problems with the linguistic minority by awarding such groups autonomy, and how the country defeated its internal problems with terrorism, which represented the final challenge to Italy’s democracy and prosperity. The Ambassador concluded her presentation by restating Italy’s support for Georgia’s European and North Atlantic aspirations.

After the presentation a question and answer session occurred in which ISETers were interested in hearing the Ambassador’s advice regarding Georgia’s conflict regions, Italy’s policy towards the mafia, and the benefits the country receives from being part of the EU.