Secret services, all the reasons for the appointments of Benassi, De Donno, Della Volpe and Massagli
After Benassi undersecretary with responsibility for the Services, Conte signed the decrees appointing the two deputy directors of Aise (Della Volpe and Massagli) and a deputy to Aisi (De Donno). Facts, names and comments
After a little less than a year, the leaders of the intelligence agencies return to full ranks.
THE APPOINTMENTS OF DELLA VOLPE, MASSAGLI AND DE DONNO
In fact, the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte – after consulting the respective directors and Copasir – signed the decrees appointing the two deputy directors of the Aise (GDF General Luigi della Volpe, former head of the agency, and Admiral Carlo Massagli , military adviser at Palazzo Chigi) and a deputy to Aisi (the general of the carabinieri Carlo De Donno, colleague of the new commander of the Arma – Teo Luzi – and head of the internal service).
THE APPROACHES TO AISE AND AISI
These changes became necessary after Aise the first deputy box was freed on May 16, 2020 by Giovanni Caravelli, promoted from number two to number one, while in July General Giuseppe Caputo (among the youngest deputy directors in the history of 'Agenzia) had left to move to the private sector, at the top of the San Donato group; while on 1 December Valerio Blengini took his leave from Aisi.
THE APPOINTMENT TOUR
The round of appointments, expected for months, was released with the indication of the new delegated authority: an important step for which the President Conte had publicly committed himself in Parliament, when this had become one of the main reasons for the contend with the current political crisis.
THE CHOICE OF BENASSI
The choice fell on a high profile figure such as the ambassador Pietro Benassi , former diplomatic adviser of Palazzo Chigi; a choice inspired by the same logic that had brought Massolo from the Farnesina to the Dis, reaffirming a cultural and operational contiguity between the two realities. As Il Sole 24 ore pointed out , Benassi "finds a set of hot dossiers on his table, from 5G to golden power, Libya, hostile acquisitions from abroad and the risks of instability linked to the economic crisis".
WHAT IS SAYING ABOUT MILITARY AND DIPLOMATS
As the analyst Antonio de Martini points out: «Of course the diplomats will show satisfaction with the choice and will try to minimize the invasion of the field carried out against the military, even if it is a political and not a technical task. Of course, the next time diplomats protest for an ambassadorial appointment of a stranger (see the Calenda case), they will no longer have the necessary credibility ».
THE NEXT MOVES ON BENASSI
There are some further assessments to be made on the picture that is unfolding. The appointment of Benassi – former cabinet chief of Emma Bonino, ambassador to Berlin and most recently Conte's diplomatic adviser – will be finalized by the President of the Republic after a collective designation by the Council of Ministers. Conte, although apparently weakened, responds with the move of the horse: he appoints three key figures and – when two come from the presidency of the Council – now has two additional boxes available (diplomatic adviser and military adviser). While that "unstable center" described by the political scientist Giovanni Orsina widens, the "vertical of power" evoked by the analyst Germano Dottori is strengthening.
We will see how these dimensions will be crystallized in the institutional framework of the country.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/servizi-segreti-tutti-i-perche-delle-nomine-di-benassi-de-donno-della-volpe-e-massagli/ on Sat, 23 Jan 2021 09:07:42 +0000.