Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Italy's former head of state offers an in-depth, insightful and thought-provoking reading of contemporary geopolitics, European cohesion, and leadership ethics. Speaking from the vantage point of a former leader of a major European country, he reflects on instability in global alliances, energy vulnerability in Europe, and the evolving nature of political leadership. His analysis is marked by a tension between pragmatism and principle, where shifting allegiances are both criticized and, at times, cautiously endorsed.
He looks at today’s world with a sense of urgency and realism. We are living in a time where alliances are fragile, leadership is often inconsistent, and global order is under immense pressure. From the Strait of Hormuz to the internal dynamics of Europe, what matters now, he says, is clarity of strategy and credibility in leadership. He warns, Europe must stop reacting and start acting, especially on energy and foreign policy. At the same time, leadership cannot simply adapt without direction.
Changing one’s mind is not a weakness if it leads to better decisions, but without coherence, it morphs into volatility and long-term instability. Renzi believes politics still requires responsibility. When citizens say “no,” leaders must listen. Credibility is not built on power alone, but on the courage to accept consequences.
Matteo Renzi served as Italy’s Prime Minister from 2014 to 2016, becoming the youngest leader in the country’s modern history at just 39 years old.
In a nation famous back then for governments that had very little longevity, his two-and-a-half years in office actually beat the postwar average.
He resigned after putting his leadership role on the line to push through a referendum on reducing the size, and changing the composition of, the upper house of parliament: the Senate. He lost, so he resigned. Which brings to mind, as Gavin Lee noted, the famous LP Hartley quote, “the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.”
Our guests
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Matteo RENZI Former Prime Minister of Italy
English (US) · 