In times of geopolitical tension and war at the gates of Europe, going back to reading or listening to the direct testimony of those who have experienced diplomacy between the West and Russia from within becomes a fundamental political and cultural act. Difficult peace is not just the title of a book, but a crude and lucid definition of the task of those who represent their country in a hostile, ambiguous context, often marked by strategic misunderstandings and fragile balances.
Through his diary as Ambassador to Moscow, the author takes us on an intimate and institutional journey at the same time, in which the lucid analysis of events is intertwined with personal experience, the challenges of everyday diplomacy and the weight of responsibility in representing European values in an authoritarian context.
The narrative takes place in a period marked by international crises, disinformation, logic of power and progressive erosion of trust between Russia and the Western world. But what also emerges strongly is the value of diplomacy as an art of patience, listening and mediation, especially when dialogue seems impossible.
This event aims to delve deeper into the contents of the book, offering a space for reflection on the role of the ambassador in the most complex theaters of international politics, and on the function of diplomatic memory as a tool for understanding the present and imagining future scenarios. An opportunity to discuss, with the author and other guests, the fragility of peace and the need, today more than ever, to defend it even in the most difficult contexts.
