Because more dialogue is needed between the North and the South of the world
Who was there and what was said at the conference “Looking for a bridge. International socialism facing the North-South question of the second half of the twentieth century” by the Craxi Foundation
“The gap between North and South is becoming truly explosive. The rich countries are becoming aware of it with great delay and to date they have not yet done what is their duty to do. Assistance with poor and developing countries is still too limited, too conditional. There is absolutely no need for major changes in the most industrialized countries, in their lifestyles. What is required of them is a small sacrifice largely compensated by a great advantage that in the medium-long term can be obtained from the growth of new economies".
Words of today, spoken by Bettino Craxi 30 years ago. To remember her is her daughter Stefania Craxi, senator of Forza Italia, president of the Foreign Affairs and Defense commission of Palazzo Madama, at the international conference of the Craxi Foundation with the more current title than ever: In search of a bridge. International socialism facing the North-South question of the second half of the twentieth century .
Bettino Craxi, personal representative of the UN president, then Perez de Cuellar, presented a plan for the reduction of the public debt of developing countries, which was approved unanimously. Then, as was recalled at the study day held yesterday, with reports by historians and experts, in the Sala Zuccari of Palazzo Giustiniani, organized by the scientific committee of the Foundation, chaired by Giovanni Orsina, his work was interrupted. Result: also of this, which, with the explosion of the epochal drama of migrations and the Tunisia "bomb" at the gates, becomes everything – notation of the reporter – deprived us of the distortion of "Clean Hands".
But, returning to the theme, Craxi's intuition, which brought about a fundamental change in the approach of international socialism hitherto fixed to the scheme of the fight against colonialism in rich countries, as the historian Daniele Caviglia recalls, was to go beyond the scheme of the world divided into two East-West blocks. The socialist statesman, "the true protagonist of the North-South dialogue", as underlined by the vice president of the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri, introduced the concept that within the division of the "cold war" there was a gap between rich and poor countries. A gap that, as observed by the president of the Craxi Foundation, Margherita Boniver, not even the 90s of globalization, considered the solution to everything, were able to address. The result is, says Stefania Craxi, that "despite the much talk about development aid and support for the poorest countries, the accounts never add up in the end".
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defense Commission explains: “Of course some countries have left behind the debt crisis in these long thirty years, that some others have embarked on the path of development after years of hard interventions and sacrifices, that symptoms of progress and stability have also manifested themselves in the great crisis areas of Asia and Africa, up to Latin America, but the South of the world has continued to live in clear difficulty in all these years”. And, he continues, "lastly, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the return of war in Europe, unexpected, with repercussions on the energy front, food security, inflation, and with the state of tension that has arisen, casts a shadow of insecurity on the global future, while it has already materialized problems and produced consequences of no small importance on the international economic situation, affecting first of all the poorest countries, systematically exposed to food crises and to a famine that could certainly trigger dangerous destabilizing drifts well beyond their own borders, putting social life at risk".
"The rebalancing between developing and industrialized countries – observes the senator – therefore retains its decisive value intact, it also maintains a priority importance in the 21st century: indeed, the new international context requires Westerners and Europeans a surplus of responsibility in facing the economic and social problems of the rest of the world”. Conclusion: "It is a journey to be completed in its entirety, a collective duty, moral before being political, which cannot be eluded: this rebalancing requires both initiatives in terms of humanitarian aid and tools capable of giving breath for a shared, sustained development; more resources are needed in a necessary framework of rules that ensure their non-fragmentation and efficient use, so as not to generate waste and further unhealthy debt, as too often happened in the past”.
The message from the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, arrives at the conference. “The conflict in Ukraine and its global implications highlight how necessary it is to build international relations of constructive dialogue and collaboration, to preserve a rules-based, predictable and stable international system: Italy, by history and geography, has a vocation to carry out the function of 'bridge'”, says Tajani. A strategic role of “listening, dialogue and respect”. That is, "distinctive features of our diplomatic action, in particular towards the enlarged Mediterranean region, to which we often draw the attention of our European partners because we know better than anyone that not being interested in the area would be a strategic mistake, which we would pay for with the proliferation of threats to the security of the whole of Europe”.
"That's why – explains Tajani – we insist in every international forum to promote everyone's commitment so that the Mediterranean returns to being an area of peace and shared growth for the countries bordering it". He recalls that "for this reason, since it took office, the government, with the Foreign Ministry in the front row, has been working to bring more Italy and with it more Europe into our Neighborhood, with special attention to the Western Balkans, the enlarged Mediterranean and the entire African continent”.
Italy's role as an "energy hub" and the Marshall Plan for Africa are the themes underlined by the foreign minister. Poverty also means a threat to security, Craxi predicted thirty years ago. With a long look also on the risks of Islamic fundamentalism.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/questione-nord-sud-fondazione-craxi/ on Tue, 28 Mar 2023 06:16:13 +0000.