Американська історія і політика (May 2023)
ITALIAN VECTOR OF US POLITICS DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF JOHN KENNEDY
Abstract
The article is devoted to the changes in the US foreign policy towards Italy during the presidency of John Kennedy (1961-1963). The study examines two main aspects of American-Italian relations of the specified period: the formation of Italian governments based on a center-left coalition, as well as relations in the energy sphere. Particular attention is paid to the personification of foreign policy and the use of American-Italian communication channels outside the US Embassy in Rome. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive study of the Italian policy of the United States during the presidency of John Kennedy. From a methodological point of view, the research is based on historical-genetic, descriptive methods, critical analysis of sources, as well as methods of researching the history of international relations. This made it possible to highlight the Italian vector of the US foreign policy and place it in the general context of the international policy of the Cold War era. The scientific novelty of the study consists of the systematization of the US foreign policy towards Italy in the European context with the involvement of sources and literature that were not previously used in domestic historiography. Conclusions. US foreign policy towards Italy during the presidency of J. Kennedy focused on the problem of ensuring the political stability of Italian governments, as well as the country’s Euro-Atlantic course. The defining characteristic of this policy was the emphasis on supporting the democratic foundations of Italy’s domestic policy, ensuring the electoral support of the Italian population, as well as support from the Catholic Church. The new vision proposed by the US president made it possible to carry out a timely renewal of Italian politics, as well as to propose a new political model for other Western European countries. The culmination of J. Kennedy’s Italian policy was a visit to Rome and the Vatican as part of a European tour in 1963, which provided public support for his policy and contributed to improving the image of the USA in Europe. Thus, J. Kennedy’s Italian policy was in the context of his pan-European policy and correlated with the problem of European unity within the EEC and NATO.
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