This thesis will investigate the correlation between Italy’s oil expansionism in the USSR and tense US-Italian relations between 1958 and 1963. Given the international importance of Italy’s oil Neo...Show moreThis thesis will investigate the correlation between Italy’s oil expansionism in the USSR and tense US-Italian relations between 1958 and 1963. Given the international importance of Italy’s oil Neo-Atlanticism in the Soviet Union, as well as the academic debate concerning other factors shaping US-Italian early Cold War relations, it is relevant to understand the extent to which this element affected ties between Rome and Washington. On this note, this study will address the following (sub)question(s): How did Italy’s Neo-Atlanticist oil policy toward the USSR influence US-Italian Cold War relations between 1958 and 1963? What was the importance of the Italian oil agenda in the Soviet bloc within the wider systemic Cold War? An answer will be provided based on a qualitative assessment of two core episodes of Italian oil expansionism, namely the 1960 ENI-SNE barter agreement and the Druzhba pipeline project. Such thematic will be investigated in a decentralized Cold War system, applying Italy’s perspective of the conflict. The conclusions reached are that Italian oil Neo-Atlanticism made the US drift apart from Italy. Furthermore, through its assertive oil agenda, Italy proved its agency in the international system by (1) partnering with the USSR when convenient whilst remaining in the Western Alliance, and (2) contributing to triggering a brief period of relaxation between the two superpowers.Show less
