"Gladio had been necessary during the days of the Cold War but, in view of the collapse of the East Block, Italy would suggest to Nato that the organisation was no longer necessary"

Gladio represents one of the clandestine “stay-behind” operations established by Western European countries, in coordination with NATO and the CIA, during the Cold War. The central purpose of these secret networks was to organize resistance and sabotage should the Soviet Union and its allies attempt to invade Western Europe. Giulio Andreotti, who served repeatedly as Italy’s Prime Minister and was a prominent figure in postwar Italian politics, here reflects on the shifting strategic realities following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. The statement underscores both the historical context and the evolving geopolitical landscape of the early 1990s.

When Andreotti states that Gladio “had been necessary during the days of the Cold War,” he acknowledges the perceived threats of Soviet military expansion and the ideological confrontation that characterized that period. The secrecy and extra-legal nature of Gladio were, for its creators and supporters, justified by the existential threat posed by the USSR and its satellite countries, collectively referred to here as the East Block. The mention of necessity highlights the intense climate of fear, espionage, and preparation that defined Western security thinking during the decades after World War II.

However, Andreotti points to a dramatic transformation: the “collapse of the East Block.” By 1990-1991, communist regimes throughout Eastern Europe were being dismantled, the Berlin Wall had fallen, and the Soviet Union itself was disintegrating. This seismic change erased the primary rationale for clandestine operations like Gladio. Andreotti’s suggestion to NATO reflects a broader reassessment of defense structures and intelligence activities in Europe. With the external communist threat dissipated, maintaining secret paramilitary networks appeared outdated and potentially destabilizing to democratic governance.

Andreotti’s remarks not only reflect Italy’s position but also speak to an emerging consensus within Western Europe: institutions forged in the shadow of ideological conflict needed to be critically reexamined or even disbanded as Europe entered a new era. The legacy of Gladio, once shrouded in secrecy, became an uncomfortable reminder of Cold War excesses and the urgent need for transparency and new security paradigms.