Last October 10, 2022, in the fascinating framework of the Aula Magna, the Catholic University proudly hosted a conference on the aftermaths of the war in Ukraine on the Mediterranean, conducted by Giacomo Maria Arrigo and Jacopo Franceschini, the founders of theSquare – Mediterranean Centre for Revolutionary Studies, and experts from the MIMES faculty.

theSquare is an independent think tank founded by two former students of the Master in Middle Eastern Studies (MIMES), coming from different academic backgrounds and united by a common interest in the contemporary dynamics occurring in the Mediterranean and in the Middle Eastern region, offering a multidisciplinary analysis which combines political, historical and philosophical elements.

“It is great honour to see how MIMES students’ ambitions and ideals can turn out into concrete projects such as the creation of their own research centre” highlights Professor Riccardo Redaelli, Director of the Master.

The conference, in line with the principles of theSquare, focussed on the need to analyse the current war in Ukraine as an interconnected event, whose outcomes involve different regions of the world, already affected by geopolitical, social and environmental crisis, such as the Mediterranean.

If, from one hand, the discussion outlined the elements of destabilisation produced by the crisis, it also aimed at identifying the Ukrainian crisis as a possible occasion of confrontation and dialogue among the European and the MENA regions.

 “The Mediterranean region is still playing a pivotal role globally. The event held in the University was an important moment of reflection on the centrality of the Mediterranean even for an event taking place far from its shores such as the war in Ukraine”, emphasise Giacomo and Jacopo.