The CPAC is coming to Italy, and relations with the United States run through here. The Vannacci factor

The Conservative conference, which brings together the world’s leading political figures (and others), will soon be coming to Italy. Today, Saturday 5 September, a press conference was held at the headquarters of the cultural think tank Nazione Futura to present the Italian edition of the CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. This gathering of right-wing movements from across the globe will come to our country for the first time next year: no specific date has been set, as it will take place after the general election. This weekend of meetings, however, will allow guests to get to know one another, organise themselves and build networks. Present at the launch were the president of the non-profit organisation, Matt Schlapp, alongside adviser Marcel Kaminstein – a figure close to the Trump administration – and Francesco Giubilei.

The conference takes place every year in the United States, at National Harbour in Maryland, and was established on the initiative of former President Ronald Reagan. This is a new development in our country. According to the organisers, the aim is to strengthen the bond between Italy and America, even following the cooling of relations between Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni. The success of the event is entirely a political matter. For this reason, our Prime Minister—who was in Bari yesterday to celebrate the milestone of the longest-serving government in the history of our Republic—has been invited to a closed-door dinner to be held tomorrow evening at the Chess Club. Several figures from the Italian and American governments will be present: there is talk of a hundred guests. The Prime Minister has not yet confirmed whether she will attend. The invitation has also been extended to the leaders and members of the majority parties, the Lega and Forza Italia.

A majority which, during the press conference, was described as ‘institutional’. This is because the Vannacci factor has become a variable in the equation. The ‘current’ centre-right parties and politicians have been invited to the CPAC. However, given that the meeting will take place after the general election, it is not yet clear what the organisers intend to do with Futuro Nazionale if it ultimately joins the coalition. Giubilei responds to the question: “History is not made with ifs and buts. However, as the CPAC is a conservative and Atlanticist event, it does not seem to me that Vannacci is either conservative or Atlanticist in foreign policy.” 

Matt Schlapp, the conference chairman, explained that he had never met the general. “We follow Meloni,” he stated. He is a supporter of President Donald Trump and is married to Mercedes Schlapp, who served as the White House Director of Strategic Communications during the tycoon’s first administration. “In today’s world, I think people respect figures like Meloni, who speaks out on important issues: the importance of faith, of family, and the acceptance and celebration of one’s own culture. Culture changes over time, but that doesn’t mean that everything new is good or that everything old is bad,” said Schlapp in his speech. “Meloni,” she continued, “was initially a little hesitant about the idea of bringing an American model such as CPAC to Italy. We therefore sought to organise the event in a way that was respectful of and in keeping with Italian culture. The aim is to engage in dialogue.”