Venti di Cambiamento? La Politica di Difesa Italiana negli Anni Ottanta

Several scholars working on Italian foreign policy have viewed the 1980s as a decade of surprising dynamism, which end product was a radical change in the country’s defence policy. Others have instead emphasized continuity in Italy’s international orientation. After a brief review of the literature on the topic, this article aims, through an analysis of the relevant documents on Italian defence, such as the 1977 and 1985 White Papers and other primary and secondary sources, to assess the degree of change in Italy’s defence policy during said period. It will do so by employing Hermann’s foreign policy change theoretical framework. We argue that, while not groundbreaking, the change ushered in by Italian policymakers in the 1980s was meaningful and has laid the foundations for future change.The paper contributes to the debate on Italian foreign policy in the 1980s and the growing academic interest in Italy’s defence policy, drawing from both historiography and political science to chart some possible future research avenues.