Luiss: a day dedicated to Europe and Ukraine

Three events were at the heart of the debate. The first event, led by the University’s School of Government,   was attended by Ispi President Giampiero Massolo; UNHCR Representative for Italy, the Holy See, and San Marino, Chiara Cordoletti; and faculty members Giovanni Orsina, Director of the Luiss School of Government; Valentina Meliciani, Director of the Luiss School of European Political Economy; Francesco Giorgino, Director of the Luiss Master’s in Political and Institutional Communication and Marketing ; Giuseppe Italiano, Co-Director of the Luiss Master’s in Cybersecurity; Mario Morcellini of Unitelma Sapienza; and Marta Ottaviani, a journalist and writer.  The workshop focused on the impact of the conflict from multiple perspectives, primarily that of security and the new global balance . Ambassador Massolo emphasized the importance of the West’s role in this phase of international negotiations to better manage the emergency consequences of the war. Indeed, this conflict has driven over 4.3 million people to flee the country to date, as noted by Chiara Cordoletti. She analyzed the humanitarian crisis and the EU's responses, highlighting how all countries have mobilized to assist this influx of women and children. The media also plays a crucial role in covering the conflict’s evolution, with extensive journalistic and media coverage, as described by Professor Francesco Giorgino, who highlighted the role and courage of the many correspondents on the ground in Ukraine.

But that’s not all: During the Luiss day dedicated to analyzing the conflict, there was also time for a reflection on “Explaining the war in Ukraine from a political science perspective.” The debate, organized by the Director of Luiss CISE, Lorenzo De Sio and the Vice-Rector for Internationalization, Raffaele Marchetti, featured Fabrizio Coticchia, Professor of Political Science at the University of Genoa, and Francesco Niccolò Moro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Bologna. The event focused on analyzing the potential post-conflict effects on both the Asian and Western fronts using the tools provided by Political Science.

The discussion continued in the afternoon with the presentation of two books: “The Man Inside: A European Journey Through Two Crises” by Marco Buti, Chief of Staff to the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, and “Democrazie sotto stress: Europa, Italia e America” by Sergio Fabbrini, Director of the Department of Political Science at Luiss. The presentations were part of the seminar “L'Europa tra sfide economiche e minacce geopolitiche.”

For the occasion, Paolo Gentiloni, the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs , spoke in the presence of Vincenzo Boccia, President of the University, and Luca Giustiniano , Vice-Rector for Organization and Faculty. The panelists included: Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a former member of the ECB ’s Executive Board; Massimo Bordignon, Professor of Economics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and a former member of the EFB; Thomas Christiansen, Professor of European Institutions at Luiss; Irene Tinagli, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs; former Prime Minister Mario Monti; and former Minister of Economy Giovanni Tria.

“Today’s debates reflect how Luiss addresses dramatic issues like a war on Europe’s borders. Indeed, it is necessary to engage in rigorous academic reflection rather than succumbing to the easy temptation of making unsubstantiated statements,” stated Luiss Rector Andrea Prencipe. He continued, “The ongoing conflict in Ukraine requires academia, alongside the political and institutional spheres, to conduct an in-depth analysis of the phenomena, shedding light on crucial issues from various perspectives: economic, historical, political, geopolitical, communication, and cybersecurity. These perspectives are all necessary to provide breadth and depth in analyzing this tragic chapter of our history and to avoid drawing hasty conclusions.”