Italy and Australia in the Twenty-First Century: Distant Connections or Close Partners?

Abstract

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Italy and Australia represent two telling case studies in the context of liberal democracies cooperating in a global order in flux. They are both highly developed countries playing a significant role internationally, and they enjoy cordial bilateral relations which are driven by shared values and interests. However, practitioners and scholars have seldom examined these relations beyond traditional fields of interest. This chapter seeks to rectify this scholarly lacuna by reviewing the extant literature, prior to identifying its noticeable gaps. It then introduces the structure of this book, whose chapters directly address these shortcomings through a careful balance of different theories, methodologies, sources, and data. They expand the scope of analysis by examining understudied research avenues comprising bilateral history, reciprocal migration, socio-cultural ties, international relations and trade, comparative politics, and scientific cooperation. Consequently, this chapter contextualises and then encourages a broader and deeper understanding of Italian–Australian relations in the twenty-first century.