Gabriele Abbondanza

I am an international relations expert. I work as an Assistant Professor at Comillas University. I am also Researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid (GEMI group), Associate Researcher at the University of Sydney, and Associate Fellow at the Italian Institute of International Affairs (IAI), a global top-20 international relations think tank.

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My fields of expertise comprise the Indo-Pacific, irregular migration governance, Australian and Italian foreign and security policy; and middle power and great power theory. I was awarded my PhD in International Relations in 2019 by the University of Sydney.

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My research has been published by top-tier scientific journals, including International Affairs, International Political Science Review, European Political Science, Contemporary Politics, and many others. My latest books are "Europe's Indo-Pacific pivot" (Palgrave Macmillan) and "The foreign policy of irregular migration governance" (Routledge). I have co-edited a volume on Italy-Australia relations, and another one on "Awkward Powers", a new concept in international relations. I regularly cooperate with the Treccani Encyclopaedia, and I routinely conduct peer-reviews for the leading journals and publishers in my fields (see this website's "research" section).

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I have taught a number of courses in different universities, including World politics and international relations, International security, Hybrid wars, Contemporary global issues, European politics, Migration politics, and many others.

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I have a strong institutional engagement. I have been invited as an expert at the Italian Parliament (both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies), the NATO Foundation, the Spanish Ministry of Defence (IUGM Institute), and the Institute of International Affairs (IAI) several times. I often cooperate with policymakers and diplomats on areas of common interest and, as a result, I've taken part in a number of Track 1.5 and Track 2 dialogues with European, Indo-Pacific, and transatlantic institutions, countries, and senior officials.

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I have an extensive experience with media and public relations, and I am often interviewed by media on international relations and security issues.

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I am a former Marie Curie Fellow (2023-2025), a leading academic position funded by the EU. At the beginning of 2024 I was Visiting Fellow at the FIERI Institute, a leading think tank in Turin; in 2021-2022 I was Honorary Research Associate at ACIS, the Australasian Centre for Italian Studies. I have been named one of Italy's "most brilliant researchers in Australia" in 2022. I have been Vice President and Board Member of the Dante Alighieri Society Sydney (a not-for-profit) from 2017 to 2022.

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I am an active member of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), the Italian Political Science Association (SISP), the Australian Political Science Association (APSA), the International Relations Standing Group (SGRI) at SISP, and the Research Group on International Migrations (GEMI) at the University of Madrid.

 

I read, cook, and write whenever I can, and when I don't I'm usually travelling somewhere new. Whether you'd like to request an interview or expert advice (consultation), or simply enquire about something, please feel free to contact me.