Republican Italy and the Senussi Monarchy (1951-1969)

After the diplomatic defeat, which determined the loss of Libya as a colony, in 1949 the new Italian foreign policy turned to a new decolonized approach and pursued new fully democratic and cooperative relations with Tripoli. In Alcide De Gasperi and Carlo Sforza’s view, the turning point with Libya would have provided a premise and a good will evidence also in dealing with the other emerging countries of the Arab world. In other words, if it could work with the former colony, it could also work with the others. From the 1950s, Italy rebuilt its interests and relations with Tripoli, especially in the field of the emerging oil production and relaunching the social relevance of the historical Italian community of Libya, which still represented an advanced part of local society. In this political process, Enrico Mattei, President of Eni, the Italian oil company, played a leading role.