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Peace support operations are one of the most important tools in the foreign policy of Western democracies. This book is a study of Italian military operations in the last twenty years. Italy´s operations are examined through an analysis of parliamentary debates and interviews with leading policy-makers.

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Introduction The Foreign Policy of a Late Comer The Political Interpretation of the Military Operations Abroad From the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Italy´s Military Operations 1990-2001 From the Fall of the Twin Towers: Italy´s Military Operations 2001-2008 Treading on this Ice: Italy´s Debate on Defence and National Security Policy Conclusions Afterword: A View from the Ground; G.Badialetti

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PIERO IGNAZI Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Bologna, Italy. He is Chairman of the Research Committee for Political Sociology of IPSA and ISA. He has worked extensively on party systems in Italy and Europe. His most recent publication is Extreme Right Parties in Western Europe (2006, 2nd expanded and updated edition).
GIAMPIERO GIACOMELLO Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Bologna, Italy, and Adjunct Professor of European Studies at the James Madison University EU Policy Studies M.A. programme, Florence, Italy. His latest publication is Security in the West (2009, edited with C. Nation).
FABRIZIO COTICCHIA Research Fellow at the Sant´Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy. His research interests are international relations, conflict and post-conflict studies, development and institutional change.

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