Perché indagare la lotta al terrorismo italiano in chiave transnazionale. Nuove ipotesi e percorsi di ricerca

With this article, we aim at drawing attention to a hitherto less studied perspective in the history of Italian counterterrorism: the international cooperation in order to tackle the transnational threat of terrorism. Departing from the observation of several similar phenomena of political violence in the second half of the 20th century, we understand the Italian “storia della lotta al terrorismo” as embedded in its global context. However, this does not mean neglecting national particularities. Firstly, we explain which are the most important aspects of a transnational history of the fight against terrorism. Secondly, we argue that the investigation of these aspects can enrich the Italian history of counterterrorism in manifold ways. Thirdly, we propose manners and methods to open up Italian contemporary historiography on the topic towards a broader field of historical analysis, intertwined with the histories of international relations and European Integration. Concluding, we claim that the histories of Italian and of European antiterrorism efforts complement each other and that the links between both of them can help to better understand a complex history of diplomatic duties, legal frameworks, and institutional structure