In 2012 Silvia graduated from the Faculty of International and Diplomatic
Sciences, University of Bologna, where she gained a major in Theories of
International Relations. Along with her interest in the IR discipline, she has
devoted much of her university program to the study of Sub-Saharan Africa’s
history, political institutions, international relations, and economic development.
In 2009, indeed, by working as a coordinator Silvia took part in an international
cooperation project sponsored by Italian and Mozambican national authorities,
which was aimed at the promotion of agricultural, economic and social
development of a wide area in the Province of Manica, Mozambique. More
recently, she was an intern at the Italian Institute for Relations between Italy and
African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern Countries (IPALMO), working in
harness with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for relevant issues, initiatives
and projects concerning international and national politics, and international
cooperation. On that occasion, she had the chance to publish three papers:
«America Latina: dinamiche di cooperazione e competizione in campo strategico»
(2013); «La politica estera italiana nel nuovo contesto globale» (2013); «The
Decline of the West: in search of lost identity. New Strategies and Challenges
in an Era of Global Shifts», research paper prepared for the homonymous
international conference organized by IPALMO, Rome, November 20
Currently, Silvia is a second year student at the Johns Hopkins University –
School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where she is attending a M.A.
in International Relations and Economics, with an IR/General concentration and a
focus on African affairs. Upon completion of her academic program at SAIS, Silvia
intends to pursue a professional career in the political-diplomatic sphere of her
home country.
Silvia’s contributions to the SAIS Observer focus on the broad dimension of
transatlantic relations, with particular reference to the military, political and
economic sphere. Blog posts are meant to shed light on the current phenomena
shaping the long-standing interactions across the two hemispheres, on the
way in which an increasingly complex international system affects process of
transatlantic cooperation and competition, on what can be reckoned as the
major challenges that the Alliance is likely to face in years to come, and on what
might be the direction and pace that the evolution of those relations are likely
to embark on. Through the lens of IR theories, and a distinctive approach to the
understanding and interpretation of events taken into consideration, blog posts
aim at bringing to the reader’s attention the most relevant aspects and underlying
tendencies characterizing the protean relations between Europe and the Unites
States. Power, interests, distribution of resources, process of alignment, and
politics of alliances are to constitute the fundamental components whereby both
critical analyses and genuine comments are proposed. Moreover, as far as those
key concepts are concerned, blog posts’ content encompasses the broader field
of international relations, international politics, and foreign policy, and delves into
the primary mechanisms and driving forces for interstate relations.