Italy’s chance in Libya
The tide of Libya’s war is turning against renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Italy should seize this opportunity to lead European countries to a harmonised Libya policy.
Experts & Staff
Arturo Varvelli
Head, ECFR Rome
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
Geopolitics and International Relations; MENA Region; Libya; EU-MENA relations; Italian-Libyan relations; Italian foreign policy
Languages
Italian, English, basic French
Biography
Arturo Varvelli is the Head of the Rome Office and a Senior Policy Fellow for the European Council on Foreign Relations. His research interests include geopolitics and international affairs, international relations of the MENA region, EU-MENA relations, Italian foreign policy towards the MENA, and transnational terrorism movements affecting the area. His main focus is Libya, a country he has extensively worked on, unpacking its domestic and foreign politics, and Italian-Libyan relations in particular.
Previously, Varvelli worked as the Co-Head of the MENA Center and Head of the Terrorism Programme at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). In ISPI, he provided scientific coordination of the “Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues” organized by ISPI and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, he was also a lecturer of History and Institutions of the Middle East at IULM University in Milan and a Visiting Fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy (EFD).
Varvelli holds a PhD in International History from the University of Milan, and a post-PhD from the CRT Foundation of Turin. He also took part in research projects funded by the Italian Chamber of Representatives and Senate, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Parliament and Commission. In 2015, he was chosen by the US State Department to take part in the International Visitor Leadership Program.
He has extensively published on Libya. His first book, “Italy and the rise of Ghaddafi” (“L’Italia e l’ascesa di Gheddafi”, 2009) focused on Italian-Libyan relations, while later books, published in collaboration with The Atlantic Council and Brookings Institutions, rather delved into Libya’s and the MENA’s foreign projections. In 2018, he took part in a Brooking Institution’s working group on the Libyan crisis.
He is also a regular speaker and commentator on Libyan and MENA issues in the main Italian media. His comments have also appeared in international newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Economist.
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Italy’s chance in Libya
The tide of Libya’s war is turning against renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Italy should seize this opportunity to lead European countries to a harmonised Libya policy.
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Italian leaders have developed a dangerous preoccupation with being seen to oppose the rest of Europe – particularly Germany – and wild ideas about a future close relationship with China
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ECFR’s national offices discuss the emerging divisions between EU member states on the economic response to covid-19
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As the problems created by the coronavirus quickly escalate, the political credibility of many governments is being tested
Reboot time: Operation Sophia and Italy’s tortuous Libya policy
A new mandate for Operation Sophia could be just what the Italian government is looking for – but much will depend on what the lead players in Libya do next
Views from the capitals: The Libya conference in Berlin
ECFR’s national offices explore whether the conference marks a fresh beginning for Europe’s engagement with war-torn Libya
Italy’s Libyan conundrum: The risks of short-term thinking
By prioritising short-term gains in irregular migration and energy security, Italy and the EU have helped create an unsustainable security and political situation in Libya
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In the media
Arturo Varvelli’s comment on the need for an immediate withdrawal of pro-Turkish Syrian militias and Russian mercenaries to stabilize Libya, and on the role of relations between Italy and Turkey
Arturo Varvelli’s comment about the road-map which guided the Berlin Conference
The comment by Arturo Varvelli on Draghi and new perspectives for Italian multilateralism
Arturo Varvelli thinks that Mario Draghi’s stature makes a big difference in the country’s foreign policy
According to a study by ECFR, Rome will orient itself more closely than in the past to joint strategies with EU partners and the USA and show less ambition for national understandings with China and Russia