Alessandro Orsini (sociologist)

Alessandro Orsini is an assistant professor at Rome's LUISS University specializing in the sociology of terrorism. The main focus of his research is terrorism in Italy (left-wing extremism and victims of terrorism)[1] and focusing also on islamist-inspired extremism[2].

Alessandro Orsini
Alessandro Orsini (2013)
Born14 Aprile 1975
Naples

He directed the International Security Research Center ("Osservatorio sulla sicurezza internazionale") [3] at LUISS until the expiration at the end of February 2022 of the collaboration agreement between LUISS and Eni under which the center was established and operated [4].

He became known to a wider Italian audience in March 2022 with a series of controversial statements related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Biography

Education

He graduated in sociology at the Sapienza University of Rome, and then obtained a research doctorate at the faculty of political science of the University of Roma Tre.[5]

Professional career

In 2011 he was research affiliate at the Center for International Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[6]

According to Thomas Migge, Orsini is one of the best experts in Italy on the topic of Red Brigades.[7]. In 2011 his work Anatomy of the Red Brigades: The Religious Mind-set of Modern Terrorists, whose original Italian version was well received,[8] was translated into English. In that work Orsini explores the mentality and the ideology of the members of the far-left organization.[8] Tobias Hof criticized the lack of political and social background in Orsini's analysis[8]; Lawrence D. Freedman defined it remarkable on the magazine Foreign Affairs.[9]

In 2016 he worked on the analysis of the terrorist attacks in Europe, including those in Paris and Brussels.[10] The same year he was appointed by the President of the Council of Ministers as a member of the government commission for the study of jihādist extremism.[11][12]

He was the director of the Centro studi sul terrorismo (Center for Studies on Terrorism) of the University of Rome Tor Vergata (2013-2016), and he is the head of the International Security Research Center at Rome's Luiss Guido Carli, where he is associate professor and he teaches sociology.[13][5]

He was a columnist for Il Messaggero,[14] and later also for Il Fatto Quotidiano from March 18, 2022.[15]

In 2022 LUISS University closes the professor's Observatory.[16]

Controversies on Russian invasion of Ukraine

His name became known for participating in some television broadcasts on the occasion of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, arousing various controversies. Orsini[17] is considered an example of pundits on Italian TV that show a more pro-Russian position on the 2022 crisis in Ukraine, usually criticized by the national press.[18]

Orsini has claimed on many occasions that NATO's eastward expansion is a crucial cause of the war[19] and he has stated that NATO has terrorized Putin[20], criticising the weakness of the European Union. According to Orsini "the West must be able to recognise the independence of Donbass and to lift the sanctions" to Russia and he claimed that "today in Ukraine Putin is the Eternal Father, because he has the right of life and death over the Ukrainian population"[21]. Moreover, according to Orsini, Ukraine should have focused its effort on finding diplomatic solutions with Russia instead of fighting, while Vladimir Putin and Russia would be the subject of a campaign of demonization by the West.[22][23][24] In the days following his interventions on the topic, LUISS distanced itself from such positions with an official statement.[25]

Orsini has declared in March 2022 that "Putin has already won. This is a lost war from the beginning. Either we give Putin what he wants or he gets it anyway", inviting the Ukraine to surrender[26]. Orsini has stated that the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "a danger to peace. He must be abandoned", labelling him "an incompetent politician".

Orsini had a contract as paid invited guest with public broadcaster Rai 3 cancelled after suggesting that the West should allow Putin to win to avoid escalation of the conflict and potential use of nuclear weapons.[27][28][29] Andrea Romano said that it was not acceptable to use public funds on "Putin propaganda windbags".[30] Orsini pointed out that he has no relationship with Russian authorities and that, as a former government consultant for critical topics, his profile was already carefully checked in the past by the intelligence[31], but Nona Mikhelidze, reserach fellow at the Institute of International Affairs in Italy has pointed out that Orsini "published articles in his newspaper to promote the Russian Sputnik vaccine even though he deals with terrorism" and he has no expertise and knowledge on Russia and Ukraine[32].

Russian News Agency TASS pointed out that Orsini was amongst the first analysts in the Western world to point out the so-called geopolitical faults of the European Union in the Ukrainian crisis.[33][34]

During one of his TV appearances in late April 2022, Orsini claimed that "his grandfather had a happy childhood under the fascist regime" to justify why Ukrainian children should live under a Russian-led dictatorship rather than dying to bombs. He also claimed that Hitler didn't want to start World War II, when he invaded Poland[35].

Works
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2002). Ripensare la nazione. Roma. SEAM. ISBN 88-8179-412-8.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2003). Alle origini del nazionalismo: storia e interpretazioni. Roma. Kappa. ISBN 88-7890-502-X.
  • Orsini, Alessandro; Rizzi, Bruno (2004). L'eretico della sinistra: Bruno Rizzi élitista democratico. Milano. Franco Angeli. ISBN 88-464-5286-0.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2005). In difesa della sociologia storica. Milano. Franco Angeli. ISBN 88-464-6520-2.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2008). Le origini del capitalismo: storia e interpretazioni. Lungro di Cosenza. Costantino Marco. ISBN 978-88-88897-26-4.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2009). Anatomia delle Brigate rosse: le radici ideologiche del terrorismo rivoluzionario. Soveria Mannelli. Rubettino. ISBN 978-88-498-2853-5.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2010). Il rivoluzionario benestante. Strategie cognitive per sentirsi migliori degli altri. Soveria Mannelli. Rubbettino. ISBN 978-8849827019.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2012). Gramsci e Turati. Le due sinistre. Soveria Mannelli. Rubbettino. ISBN 978-8849832143.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2016). Isis. I terroristi più fortunati del mondo e tutto ciò che è stato fatto per favorirli. Milano. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-8817087605.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2017). Sacrifice. My life in a fascist militia. Ithaca-London. Cornell University. ISBN 978-1501709838.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2018). L'ISIS non è morto. Ha solo cambiato pelle. Milano. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-8817099691.
  • Corso di sociologia generale. Bologna. Il Mulino. 2019. ISBN 978-88-15-28537-9.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2019). Il terrorismo in Africa. LUISS University Press. ISBN 978-88-6105-437-0.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2019). Viva gli immigrati! Gestire la politica migratoria per tornare protagonisti in Europa. Milano. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-8817108942.
  • Orsini, Alessandro (2021). Teoria sociologica classica e contemporanea. Novara. UTET. ISBN 978-8860086778.

Awards

References
  1. "Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners - Alessandro Orsini". ec.europa.eu. European Commission. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  2. "Alessandro Orsini: Libri e biografia di Alessandro Orsini". Rizzoli Libri. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  3. Bergema, Reinier; Kearney, Olivia (February 2021). "Inventory of 200+ Institutions and Centers in the Field of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Research". Perspectives on Terrorism. 15 (1): 104. JSTOR 26984800. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  4. "Luiss, non rinnovato l'accordo per l'Osservatorio sulla sicurezza guidato da Orsini".
  5. "Chi è Alessandro Orsini, il professore criticato per le sue idee sulla guerra in Ucraina: "Pressioni per non andare in tv"" (in Italian). Il Riformista. 17 March 2022.
  6. "Alessandro Orsini". Sicurezza internazionale (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  7. Migge, Thomas (2019-01-23). "Stellenvergabe an Italiens Hochschulen„Ein echtes Korruptionssystem"" (in German). Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  8. Hof, Tobias (17 May 2013). "Alessandro Orsini, Anatomy of the Red Brigades: The Religious Mind-Set of Modern Terrorists (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2011), 317 pp". Cold War History. 13 (2): 286-287. doi:10.1080/14682745.2013.789665. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  9. "Anatomy of the Red Brigades: The Religious Mind-set of Modern Terrorists; Mastermind: The Many Faces of the 9/11 Architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed". 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  10. "Orsini: Tutti gli attentatori erano già attenzionati dalle intelligence" (in Italian). 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  11. "Al via commissione estremismo jihadista". ANSA.it. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  12. "Lotta al terrorismo: insediata a palazzo Chigi una commissione di studio sul fenomeno della radicalizzazione in Italia". AgenSIR. SIR - Servizio Informazione Religiosa. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  13. "Alessandro Orsini | Sicurezza internazionale | LUISS". Sicurezza internazionale (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  14. "Il Messaggero - Alessando Orsini". Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  15. Zacchetti, Lorenzo (18 March 2022). "Alessandro Orsini debutta su Il Fatto Quotidiano: la scelta di Marco Travaglio".
  16. Alessandro Orsini, la Luiss chiude l'Osservatorio, ilfattoquotidiano.it, 30 aprile 2022
  17. ""Tra schifosi ci si intende". Massimo Gramellini umilia Alessandro Orsini: perché il prof è terrorizzato da Putin" (in Italian). Il Tempo. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  18. Maselli, Francesco (26 April 2022). "La fascination intéressée de la télévision italienne pour les opinions pro-Poutine" (in French). L'Opinion. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  19. "Kleiner Stern zwischen Populisten, Relativisten und "Putiniani"" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  20. https://www.iltempo.it/attualita/2022/03/04/news/ucraina-nato-che-ha-terrorizzato-vladimir-putin-alessandro-orsini-gela-tutti-a-piazzapulita-bufera-sul-prof-della-luiss-30698488/
  21. https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/orsini-oggi-putin-ucraina-padre-eterno-2027520.html
  22. "Ucraina, il dibattito tra il Prof. Orsini e Federico Fubini: "Se il Messico si alleasse con Putin gli Stati Uniti lo distruggerebbero"". LA7 - Piazzapulita. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  23. "Ucraina, il Prof. Orsini avverte: "Sta per scoppiare un'altra guerra in Georgia"". LA7 - Piazzapulita. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  24. "Il prof. Orsini: "Se Putin è uno schifoso, tra schifosi possiamo intenderci e discutere di come salvare gli ucraini"". LA7 - Piazzapulita. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  25. ""No alla censura contro Alessandro Orsini": la petizione dei professori a favore del collega accusato di essere "filorusso"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  26. https://www.corriere.it/politica/22_maggio_01/orsini-putin-hitler-frasi-piu-controverse-professore-tv-059ebd7e-c93b-11ec-9820-58d31043d436.shtml
  27. Roberts, Hannah (6 April 2022). "Italy and Russia: A love affair that hasn't quite ended".
  28. REN TV Канал Rai 3 разорвал контракт с экспертом из-за его позиции по Украине
  29. "Канал в Италии прекратил работать с экспертом из-за его позиции по Украине" (in Russian). Ria Novosti. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  30. "Arms-to-Ukraine opponent has Rai contract terminated". 24 March 2022.
  31. "Cartabianca, Orsini gela la Berlinguer: "Legami col Cremlino? Chi c'era al governo quando..." sinistra azzerata". Il Tempo. 29 March 2022.
  32. https://www.iltempo.it/attualita/2022/03/23/news/guerra-russia-ucraina-alessandro-orsini-nona-mikhelidze-interessi-vaccino-sputnik-di-battista-dimartedi-filo-putin-30938242/
  33. "Tv, la fauna da talk che piace a Mosca: Tass loda Orsini, alla Luiss è fronda" (in Italian). La Repubblica.
  34. De Cicco, Lorenzo. "Tv, la fauna da talk che piace a Mosca: Tass loda Orsini, alla Luiss è fronda". Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  35. https://www.ilriformista.it/lultima-di-orsini-hitler-non-voleva-la-seconda-guerra-mondiale-colpa-di-alleanze-militari-come-nato-296597/
  36. "Premi, pubblica all'estero. In Italia lo bocciano: "Non sei raccomandato"". Corriere della Sera. 2018-10-10.
  37. Ebe Perini (2016-06-19). "Ad Alessandro Orsini il "Premio Cimitile" per la miglior opera di attualità". Il Messaggero.
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