In this session jointly organised by the EUI International Relations Working Group and the EU Studies Working Group, Andrea Carlo Martinez and Marius Ghincea will present their respective papers.
Europe constructed, Europe contested: Italian media responses to the Treaties of Rome
Andrea Carlo Martinez
This article analyses Italian responses to the Treaties of Rome in 1957 by looking at the media’s role as a tool to both amplify voices and construct ideas on European integration. It attempts to expand upon and also challenge existing narratives on integration in Italy - which have tended to assume that ‘Euroscepticism’ largely emerged in a post-Maastricht context - by showing that there was already significant contestation on this matter, and that political actors used the outlets at their disposal to influence public opinion. Indeed, the Italian media conversations enveloping the Treaties of Rome - at a time when the introduction of RAI television was revolutionising the media landscape, and the Treaties were broadcast and politicised as a landmark event - highlight the variety of visions of European integration that had emerged. On the one hand, the ruling Christian Democratic government had radio and television under its harness, and used these channels to push a pro-integrationist orthodoxy on the Italian public. Nevertheless, we also see dissenting visions expressed in much of the printed press, not only from the anti-Western Communists and Socialists, but from a broad church including neo-fascists, monarchists and even federalists. The article crucially finds that there was a deliberate effort from government-aligned journalists to marginalise - rather than engage with - any dissenting views on European integration. This helped to develop the contours of what is now called 'Euroscepticism.'
Andrea Carlo Martinez is a British-Italian journalist and PhD researcher in contemporary history based in Rome. He holds a BA from the University of Oxford and MPhil in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge. Currently, he is a doctoral researcher at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich working on the history of Italian Euroscepticism and joining the German Historical Institute in Rome. The title of his research group project, which is funded by the Max Weber Stiftung, is (De)Constructing Europe .
Discussant: Matilde Ceron
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Zeitenwende. Making Sense of Germany's Ukraine Policy
Marius Ghincea
The Russian invasion of Ukraine upended the already challenged European security architecture. As one of the largest countries on the continent, Germany had to navigate this new geostrategic environment and adjust its security response to the emerging evolutions on the Eastern flank of NATO, responding to growing pressures from allies and partners. However, the German security policy response has been anything but smooth or coherent, with numerous vacillations, internal and external disagreements, and a predisposition for the status quo ante. How can we make sense of Germany's security policy response in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war? Marius argues that the domestic politics of Germany's security policy is key to understanding its security behaviour. He claims that the Russian invasion of Ukraine should be seen as a trigger for domestic contestation over grand strategy and security policy. The conflict in Ukraine pitted a cross-partisan coalition of actors that advocate for a grand strategy of "deep engagement" and a more prominent role for Germany in world politics against a coalition grounded on anti-militarist thinking that advocates for continued "restraint" as the guiding principle of Germany's security policy. By tracing the evolution of events, he finds that the early days of the war in Ukraine saw a rallying around the flag effect, while rhetorical entrapment played a key role in producing subsequent policy shifts. Those advocating for a grand strategy of engagement for Germany rhetorically entrapped Olaf Scholz and those advocating for restraint, forcing them to agree to policies that they would otherwise have rejected.
Marius Ghincea is a Doctoral Researcher at the European University Institute and a Research Fellow at the Hertie School. His research agenda is focused on the domestic politics of foreign policy and grand strategy, particularly in the United States and Germany.
Discussant: Raffaele Mastrorocco
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