PROGRAM EVALUATION: PA ITALY "TRANSATLANTIC

UNCLAS ROME 000288 SIPDIS FOR IIP/G/EUR CSIEMONH; IP/G RCROSS-NAJAFI; IIP/T/PS JRPLATT; EUR/PPD/RHILTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP PRC SUBJECT: PROGRAM EVALUATION: PA ITALY "TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11" PROGRAMS WITH U.S. SPEAKERS, DECEMBER 12-13, 2001 ¶1. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY: ON DECEMBER 12, PA HELD A ONE- DAY SEMINAR ENTITLED "TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11," WHICH BROUGHT FOUR U.S. SPEAKERS AND 40 ITALIAN AND AMERICAN PARTICIPANTS TOGETHER TO DEBATE ECONOMIC, SECURITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN THE WAKE OF THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS. U.S. SPEAKERS WENT ON TO OTHER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 00288 181521Z PROGRAMS IN ROME AND MILAN, DECEMBER 13. ¶2. DATES: DECEMBER 12-13, 2001; FISCAL YEAR: FY2002; QUARTER: 1ST ¶3. JUSTIFICATION/OBJECTIVE: PA ITALY IS USING A VARIETY OF FORMATS THROUGH WHICH TO ENGAGE ITALIANS ON KEY THEMES AND ISSUES INVOLVED IN THE U.S. WAR AGAINST TERRORISM. THE GOAL OF THE SEMINAR WAS TO BRING KEY FOREIGN POLICY AND ECONOMIC CONTACTS TOGETHER TO LOOK AT HOW TERRORISM AND THE WAR ON TERRORISM IS AFFECTING 1.) THE U.S. ECONOMY, 2.) INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND 3.) U.S. SOCIETY. ¶4. MPP UMBRELLA THEMES: TERRORISM, REGIONAL STABILITY, GLOBAL ECONOMIC GROWTH, PUBLIC DIPLOMACY. ¶5. AUDIENCES REACHED: DEC. 12 -- OVER 40 HIGH AND MID-LEVEL FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSTS, ECONOMISTS, JOURNALISTS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, PARLIAMENTARY STAFF. DEC. 13 - SECURITY/FOREIGN POLICY CONTACTS IN MILAN, JOURNALISTS, UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN ROME. ¶6. RESULT/IMPACT: EXCELLENT. THE SEMINAR PROVIDED A DAY OF GOOD DISCUSSION AND DEBATE WITH MANY OF OUR KEY CONTACTS WHO ARE EAGER FOR FIRST-HAND INFORMATION FROM THE U.S. ON ISSUES RELATED TO TERRORISM AND THE ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN. LOCALLY RECRUITED CHARLES PEARSON, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT JOHNS HOPKINS-BOLOGNA, GAVE AN EXCELLENT OVERVIEW OF THE VARIOUS PATHS THE U.S. ECONOMY MIGHT TAKE IN THE SHORT AND MEDIUM TERMS, WHILE U.S. SPEAKER (IIP) JOHN HULSMAN, RESEARCH FELLOW IN EUROPEAN SECURITY AND NATO AFFAIRS AT THE HERITAGE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 00288 181521Z FOUNDATION, PRESENTED POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR NATO'S FUTURE, ADDRESSING THE THORNY ISSUE OF NATO'S "RELEVANCE," AS SEEN FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC. LOCALLY RECRUITED MAJOR WILLIAM BIGELOW OF U.S. EUCOM BROUGHT AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE SECURITY DISCUSSION, WHILE IIP U.S. SPEAKER DOROTHY COLLIN OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE SHARED WITH ITALIANS THE CURRENT MOODS AND CONCERNS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS OVER SUCH ISSUES AS MILITARY TRIBUNALS AND TREATMENT OF IMMIGRANTS. ITALIAN PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED A PROMINENT RETIRED GENERAL WHO IS A FREQUENT COMMENTATOR ON TELEVISION NEWS PROGRAMS AND THE FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER'S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR. IN ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING, HULSMAN MET WITH NORTHERN ITALIAN CONTACTS AND WAS INTERVIEWED BY CENTER-RIGHT DAILY IL GIORNALE IN MILAN, DECEMBER 13, WHILE COLLIN MET IN ROME WITH ITALIAN JOURNALISTS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. ¶7. NON USG SOURCES OF IN-COUNTRY FUNDING/IN-KIND SUPPORT: NONE ¶8. QUALITY OF U.S. AND AGENCY OFFICE SUPPORT: EXCELLENT. SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME00288 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED