Peace and war in the political discourse of Italian Marxist and post-Marxist parties

Abstract

Culture-based explanations, which are still lacking in the Italian political science literature, help to interpret the effects that changing political identities have on national security politics. The purpose of this article is to offer a contribution to understanding the evolution of the Marxist and post-Marxist parties’ strategic culture from the bipolar to the post-1989 era in Italy. Notwithstanding the transformation of Italian defence policy, with a growing involvement in military operations, the persistent post-war pacifist culture still shapes strategic behaviour. Our hypothesis is that the ‘myth of peace’ is a stabilising factor in the evolution of the strategic cultural identity. Through discourse analysis, this article focuses on the main frames used by leftist leaders to justify their vote in the parliamentary debate during the military operations undertaken in Lebanon in 1982 and 2006.