Al-Ahram Weekly | Profile | Antonio Badini: The Italian connection

Antonio Badini is decidedly one of nature's public speakers. The veteran diplomat who has delivered some of the finest ambassadorial speeches in his lifetime and hails from one of the greatest traditions of Western rhetoric, has also induced thunderous applause in Cairo and other Arab capitals. His characteristically Italian exaggerated gesticulation and facial expressions, not to mention occasionally weird pronunciation when speaking in classical Arabic, his cackling laughter, his verve, are never supplemented by painful silences.

"We have a Latin expression: Legibus Solutus, above the law," Ambassador Antonio Badini explains in the course of conversation. But as he does so his hands fly widely above his head one second, loosening his gorgeous tie the next. He is a man of consequence, in the sense that he is not merely a diplomat, but a highly acknowledged Arabist as well. He sees himself as a link between cultures. What launched his foray into Arab politics, in fact, was his remarkable mastery of the Arabic language.

At a personal level, too, Ambassador Badini sees himself as a living link between East and West, North and South. A chance encounter with a Maghrebi beauty turned out to be his dream come true.

Badini is so proud of his bride. This conjugal union was also a matter of shared faith -- in the universal Mediterranean coincidence of interests. His own personal experience is of being a virtual bridge between the Arab world and Europe. His wife Dunia is the pretty, plucky and unveiled Muslim woman who won the heart of Badini.

First impressions can often be misleading. He comes across as one of those high-powered diplomats who tend to be of well meaning but bossy types. But the endlessly energetic Italian Ambassador is only half-joking when he says, "knowing our culture as well as that of the others helps to banish mistrust, that causes fear, encouraging the serene search for those values and principles which are both compatible with the respective identities and functional to common interests," he then eloquently extrapolates.

"Westerners should read more books about the Arab world written by Arabs and not Western Orientalists. Culture, or cultural exchanges should be the paramount feature of the relationship between Arab and European countries. We should create a good perception of the other," Badini insists. Other Europeans may stifle a yawn at the familiar tale, but not Italians.

Ambassador Badini is a great believer in what he terms "preventive diplomacy". At diplomatic receptions, opening development projects in the far-flung governorates of Egypt, he is especially concerned with materially uplifting Upper Egypt, where the majority of the country's poorest governorates are located. "It is a public calling I am proud of and cannot resist," he notes. Upper Egypt reminds him in many ways of the Mezzogiorno, the once underdeveloped southern half of Italy. Upper Egypt is full of potential, and could, like the Mezzogiorno, once a byword for the intractability of poverty and underdevelopment, come a long way. Badini has faith in the potential of Upper Egypt. He has his own theories about the reasons for the political and economic neglect of the region. "But it might be impertinent of me to express an opinion," he explains with mock modesty.

Plainly it is in Italy's best interest to have a prosperous southern Mediterranean for its neighbour; this applies equally to Egypt. Today, North Africa is one of the main staging posts of immigrants searching for greener pastures in Europe. Europeans, too, have come to depend on this pool of cheap labour. The Italians are as usual toiling way in their country's traditional sphere of influence -- the Mediterranean Basin.

And, Ambassador Badini knows why. He expresses outrage at the way certain governmental departments and aid agencies are dragging their feet over the implementation of development projects. "We need to reduce the role of the state and give greater space to Arab affairs in the European media because Arab countries are our closest neighbours." He notes that investors are more careful nowadays. Italy is Egypt's second largest trading partner after the United States. Badini would like to see some of these investments come into fruition. Italy also plays host to the largest community of Egyptians in the European Union, he says. The Italian official development cooperation supports the improvement of technical and institutional capacities of the Egyptian government in managing immigration -- the so-called IMIS project. Egypt's Central Bank figures show a substantial growth in remittances from Italy.

Why do many Egyptians leave the country in search for better opportunities elsewhere? Better jobs and a better lifestyle play a role. Italian development assistance is focussed on training. And many of those youngsters are flirting with the idea of moving out of the country for good. Since 1995, the number of Egyptians resident in Italy has doubled. "Confidence-building measures are essential," Badini points out. "We haven't explored the full potential of Euro-Mediterranean relations," he explains. "Unfortunately some Western scholars, political analysts and Orientalists present us with a distorted image of the Muslim world," the Italian ambassador insists. "It is a mistake not to let Muslims speak for themselves."

Unfortunately Islamic and Western societies fear each other. If there is a lesson to be learnt from all this, it is that even the closest of neighbours can sometimes misunderstand each other and that they must learn to live and work together. The figures Ambassador Badini quotes appear to make an irrefutable case for strengthening ties across the Mediterranean. But burgeoning trade links will also call for closer political ties. Badini is at heart an ardent Mediterraneanist.

Ambassador Badini has a knack for getting things done. He describes his willingness to jump into the fray with characteristic Italian bravura. Italy is involved in human development projects, and those dealing with poverty alleviation and environment protection. Italy is also keen on literacy classes and vocational training. Some of the Egyptian development projects supported by Italy include the National Project for Drug Abuse Reduction and the Female Genital Mutilation Free (FGM) Village Model, encouraging a collective commitment to discard the practice of FGM.

Ambassador Badini says that safeguarding the rights and guaranteeing equal opportunities of disabled people with special rights is equally important.

The Don Bosco Salesian Institute, a private educational concern, established as a non-profit organisation, is training thousands of Egyptians who find meaningful employment in Italian and other European companies. These firms are introducing other innovations too. The Don Bosco Salesian Institute is an industrial technical and vocational institute with intensive training courses. Ambassador Badini's devotion to the cause is palpable.

The firm hand and deep pockets of donor nations is of critical importance. But Don Bosco is no ordinary charitable foundation. Few institutions are less accountable than philanthropic institutions. Ambassador Badini is helping to answer the questions posed by the sceptics.

The Italian-Egyptian Debt for Development Swap Programme is a venture that greatly interests him. Debt swap is a transaction in which a government or organisation in a credit country waives a fraction of a developing country's external debt, in exchange for a commitment by the debtor government to invest local currency in designated development programmes. Italy and Egypt signed a Debt-for-Development Swap agreement in Rome on 19 February 2001. Another equally important enterprise is the interest Italy takes in supporting Egyptian educational and training reform. But we do not go very far talking about this. The conversation veers towards the political instead. When it comes to politics, Italy has a certain reputation. Italy with its rough- and-tumble politics, is a role model for nascent Arab democracies. Ambassador Badini, however, is conscious of the Italian image he can project. The Italian military engagements are still skewed in towards the Middle East. Italy is a member of NATO, a strategically-located country in the centre of the Mediterranean. And its position is not encouraging.

Iraq remains a killing field, Badini says. But Italy is no regional gendarme. Still, with troops in Lebanon and Iraq, it is still involved. Iraq in particular continues to be a diplomatic bone of contention. Yet the United States-led mission in Iraq makes the Italians edgy. Italy supported the war in Iraq both diplomatically and with troops on the ground. Especially under former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy was one of the staunchest American allies. The new centre-left government with the current Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is not so sympathetic to the Bush administration, but Ambassador Badini will not be dragged into such talk. His political experience, rather, is rooted in his profession. He expresses concern about certain global developments unfolding in recent years. Muslims now fear the West. Westerners see Islamic countries as a potential threat. Yet, the coastal port cities of Egypt's Nile Delta such as Alexandria, Rosetta, Damietta and Port Said fell massively under the cultural influence of the European Mediterranean and Italy in particular. These are historical facts and cannot be argued, he says.

Italy will be the guest of honour at the Cairo International Fair. When this is pointed out, he signs off with a smile: "Personally, when I read the stories of Naguib Mahfouz, it is hard for me not to think of the theatre of Eduardo de Filippo. Moreover, the sights of the Cairo districts of Gammaliya and Shubra almost naturally bring to mind the busy, colourful areas of Forcella and Via Toledo in Naples or the Via Panico area of olden-days Rome," he muses. Whether all of this will accomplish as much as Ambassador Badini hopes remains to be seen. He is a prolific writer in the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat. And his pertinent articles -- "The security dimension at the crux of cultural dialogue between the West and the Arab East" ( Al-Hayat, 17 September 2006); "For a better Christian- Muslim future" ( Al-Hayat, 20 October 2006) -- as much as his book Renewal of a Dialogue of Cultures, testify not only to understanding but to tremendous will.

No wonder he has been so active in preparing for the Book Fair. It is, after all, a golden opportunity for his vision of Mediterranean relations to be applied on a relatively large scale with the full sanction of all authorities involved. As he sees me out, with the same characteristically Italian grace, he does look happy about it, exhaustion notwithstanding. He is a man about to cause change.