Framed into the broader conceptual debate that addresses the controversial

role of human rights in the foreign policies of states, this book

aims to critically investigate whether, how and to what extent human

rights matter in the definition of Italy’s external action. The focus of this

study, which considers a period ranging from the end of the Cold War

to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, is placed on the whole ‘human

rights component’ of foreign policy, which is intended as the combination

of three dimensions that are part of the same policy effort but

can analytically be distinguished among them: ‘institutional dialogue’;

‘multilateral initiative’ and ‘bilateral emphasis’. This book investigates

the consistency of this whole foreign policy component between the

content and scope of the human rights discourse of Italian foreign policy-

makers domestically and internationally and the actual efforts put

in place by the country to advance the global human rights agenda, its

institutions and procedures in both multilateral and bilateral settings.