Aliados y rivales en la política exterior del populismo italiano: Movimento Cinque Stelle y Fratelli d’Italia (2012-2024)

The present article aims to explore and compare the foreign policy discourses and perfor-mances of two populist political movements, the Movimento Cinque Stelle and Fratelli d’Italia, ideologically different, but both with experience in the opposition and government of Italy. The goal of the study is to detect if his speeches and actions have meant a modification of Italy’s foreign policy and its established international role over the decades following the end of the Cold War. The analysis is based on a qualitative study of the political discourse and actions of these two movements on two fundamental international issues, that is, the international commit-ments of Italy and its alliances (European Union, NATO and the United States), and the rela-tions with non-traditionally allied powers (Russia and China). The empirical analysis shows more continuities than discontinuities in the foreign policies of M5S and FDI with respect to previous Italian governments successive to the end of the Cold War. This means that their presence in the opposition and in the government has not meant a relevant change in Italy’s international role or in its foreign policy.