Istituto Affari Internazionali


The Istituto Affari Internazionali is an Italian international relations think tank, and non-profit organisation founded in 1965 by Altiero Spinelli. It is ranked among the global top-20 think tanks in the "Foreign Policy and International Relations" and "Defense and National Security" categories, according to the 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index.
WWW iai.it

History

Altiero Spinelli was the institute's first director, thanks to joint contributions from the Fondazione Olivetti, the cultural and political association Il Mulino and the Nord e Sud Research Center, as well as to substantial support from the Ford Foundation. Spinelli took North American and British think tanks as a model: he created a flexible private organization, distinct from university institutes and governmental or ministerial research centers, yet capable of inter-acting and cooperating with the government, the public administration, national economic actors and foreign academic centers. These are still the IAI's outstanding features today. In September 2020 the Institute moved to Palazzo Cipolla, an elegant Neo-Renaissance building in the heart of Rome. The Institute's main objective is to promote an understanding of the problems of international politics through studies, research, training, meetings and publications, with the aim of increasing the opportunities of all countries to move in the direction of supranational organization, democratic freedom and social justice.

Research

Research focuses on the following thematic areas:
The research staff is made up of nearly 40 researchers, including area or project directors. Most of the research projects are carried out together with other institutes with similar characteristics.
The Institute is an active participant in – and has sometimes even been a promoter of – important transnational research networks:
  • Council of Councils
  • EuroMeSCo
  • ETTG
  • TEPSA

Publications

The International Spectator, a peer reviewed English-language international relations quarterly, published by Routledge Trends and Perspectives in International Politics, a series of books on topical questions in international relations, published by RoutledgeIAI Research Studies, a series of books on problems of international affairs in either English or ItalianIAI Papers and Documenti IAI, two series of papers produced within the context of IAI research projects and areas of expertiseIAI Commentaries, op-eds on a variety of contemporary issues in Italian and global affairsAffarInternazionali, an Italian language webzine on politics, strategy and economics
In addition, the IAI manages two websites:
  • : the IAI's official website
  • : the site of the webzine by the same name