Current Foreign and Security Policy Issues Regarding Stationing Nuclear Tactical Weapons in Italy

Abstract

Italy has been storing U.S. nuclear tactical weapons since the 1950s. During the Cold War, Rome considered hosting nuclear weapons a tool to strengthen the international ranking of the country, hoping that it provides an opportunity to restore trust in Italy’s international image, which had been shaken by World War II. As a consequence of the effect of bipolar logic on Italian domestic politics, hosting nuclear weapons guaranteed that the Italian Communist Party remained in opposition. Although the original reasons of hosting U.S. nuclear weapons have disappeared at the end of Cold War, Italy is not actively promoting nuclear disarmament.