Geopolitica e Affari Internazionali

Los lobos a las puertas: la crisis de Gaza y las dinámicas tectónicas de la geopolítica globa l Por Paolo Falconio   Miembro del Consejo Rector de Honor y conferenciante en la Sociedad de Estudios Internacionales (SEI) En los últimos acontecimientos relacionados con la Franja de Gaza, la retórica de la paz aparece más como una construcción discursiva que como una realidad efectiva. La reciente celebración por parte del Presidente Trump de la liberación de rehenes y la cesación temporal de víctimas civiles palestinas representa sin duda un logro significativo. Sin embargo, hablar de “paz” en la región constituye una distorsión semántica que ignora las dinámicas estructurales subyacentes. Como subraya Foucault (1975), los dispositivos discursivos contribuyen a modelar la percepción de la realidad y a ocultar las relaciones de poder. En este sentido, la paz se convierte en una categoría retórica, incapaz de representar la complejidad geopolítica de Gaza y de la región circundante...

Wolves at the Gate: The Gaza Crisis and the Tectonic Dynamics of Global Geopolitics By Paolo Falconio Member of the Honorary Governing Council and lecturer at the Society of International Studies (SEI) In the latest developments concerning the Gaza Strip, the rhetoric of peace appears more as a discursive construct than an actual reality. President Trump’s recent celebration of the release of hostages and the temporary cessation of Palestinian civilian casualties certainly represents a noteworthy outcome. However, to speak of “peace” in the region constitutes a semantic distortion that ignores the underlying structural dynamics. As Foucault (1975) emphasized, discursive devices help shape the perception of reality and mask power relations. In this sense, peace becomes a rhetorical category, incapable of representing the geopolitical complexity of Gaza and the surrounding region. The concept of peace, as evoked by the media and official statements, functions as a semiotic device aim...

Systemic Fragility in the European Union and Germany’s Strategic Centrality Di Paolo Falconio  Miembro del Consejo Rector de Honor y profesor en la Sociedad de Estudios Internacionales (SEI) Amid the growing structural fragility of the European Union, Germany continues to serve as the keystone of the European edifice. This role is accentuated by France’s internal political turbulence and persistent economic slowdown, as well as the United Kingdom’s decision to pursue Brexit as a means of managing its own domestic fractures—despite facing similar economic challenges. In this scenario, Berlin remains the only continental actor capable of combining industrial capacity with fiscal discipline. This dual foundation—productive strength and financial solidity—constitutes a necessary prerequisite for any credible European ambition of partial strategic autonomy in the field of defense. Despite Brexit, London has reaffirmed its role as the primary conduit for U.S. geopolitical projection onto...

  La fine di un mondo: crisi del liberalismo e smarrimento dell’Occidente Di Paolo Falconio Miembro del Consejo Rector de Honor y profesor en la Sociedad de Estudios Internacionales (SEI) La dissoluzione dell’Unione delle Repubbliche Socialiste Sovietiche (URSS) nel 1991 segnò un punto di svolta epocale nella storia contemporanea. La fine della contrapposizione bipolare tra Stati Uniti e Unione Sovietica, che aveva strutturato la politica mondiale per oltre quarant’anni, fu interpretata in Occidente come la vittoria definitiva del modello liberale e capitalistico. In tale contesto, autori come Francis Fukuyama (1992) ipotizzarono persino “la fine della storia”, ossia l’avvento di una fase di stabilità ideologica fondata sulla democrazia liberale e sull’economia di mercato. Tuttavia, la successiva evoluzione geopolitica ed economica ha mostrato come tale interpretazione fosse eccessivamente ottimistica. Lungi dal consolidarsi, l’Occidente ha conosciuto, a partire dagli anni Novanta,...

The End of a World: The Crisis of Liberalism and the Disorientation of the West By Paolo Falconio Member of the Honorary Governing Council and Lecturer at the Society of International Studies (SEI) The dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991 marked a watershed moment in contemporary history. The end of the bipolar confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, which had structured global politics for over forty years, was interpreted in the West as the definitive triumph of the liberal and capitalist model. In this context, authors such as Francis Fukuyama (1992) even hypothesized “the end of history,” that is, the advent of an ideologically stable phase grounded in liberal democracy and market economy. However, subsequent geopolitical and economic developments have revealed the excessive optimism of such an interpretation. Far from consolidating itself, the West has, since the 1990s, experienced a gradual erosion of its foundational princip...

El fin de un mundo: crisis del liberalismo y desconcierto de Occidente   Por Paolo Falconio   Miembro del Consejo Rector de Honor y profesor en la Sociedad de Estudios Internacionales (SEI) La disolución de la Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Soviéticas (URSS) en 1991 marcó un punto de inflexión histórico en la era contemporánea. El fin de la confrontación bipolar entre Estados Unidos y la URSS, que había estructurado la política mundial durante más de cuarenta años, fue interpretado en Occidente como la victoria definitiva del modelo liberal y capitalista. En ese contexto, autores como Francis Fukuyama (1992) llegaron incluso a plantear “el fin de la historia”, es decir, el inicio de una fase de estabilidad ideológica basada en la democracia liberal y la economía de mercado. Sin embargo, la evolución geopolítica y económica posterior demostró que tal interpretación era excesivamente optimista. Lejos de consolidarse, Occidente ha experimentado desde los años noventa u...

The Misstep at the Quantico Meeting: Geopolitical Analysis and Institutional Implications    By Paolo Falconio Miembro del Consejo Rector de Honor y profesor en la Sociedad de Estudios Internacionales (SEI Abstract The episode of the Quantico meeting, during which President Donald Trump addressed the top ranks of the U.S. military, stands as a paradigmatic case of how political communication—when it takes on a spectacular dimension—can interfere with the balance between civilian and military power. This article analyzes the event in light of the internal geopolitical dynamics of the United States, the institutional symbolism of the armed forces, and the relationship between political leadership and military hierarchy. -------- In the U.S. political system, the relationship between civilian authority and military command is one of the pillars of institutional stability and democratic legitimacy (Huntington, 1957). The Quantico meeting, described as a moment of “spectacularizati...