In Conversation with H.E. Federico Bianchi di Montano Antilia, EU Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau: A Two-Part Special Event - From West Africa to Digital Diplomacy
Speaker
This two-part event will be held on June 3rd, from 10:30-12:00 and on June 25th from 5:00-6:30.
Join H.E. Federico Bianchi di Montano Antilia, EU Ambassador to Guinea‑Bissau, for a two‑day conversation that links complex regional realities with the tools of modern diplomacy. Designed for UK and international students of foreign relations based in London, as well as foreign policy analysts interested in West African dynamics, the event pairs frontline political and security analysis of West Africa with a hands‑on exploration of digital diplomacy – why both matter now more than ever following regional and global instability, rise of Foreign-led mis and disinformation, and the end of the post-war multilateral order.
Event Summary
Guinea‑Bissau at the Crossroads: Post‑Coup West Africa, Drug Trafficking, Migration and Political Instability
Synopsis
Guinea‑Bissau’s 23 November 2025 coup has sharpened a set of regional challenges: organised drug trafficking routes, irregular migration flows across the Gulf of Guinea and Sahel, and fragile state institutions. This session places Guinea‑Bissau at the centre of a wider conversation about security and governance in West Africa — exploring how instability there reverberates into Europe and what realistic policy options exist for the EU and the UK.
Key themes
- The post‑coup political landscape in Guinea‑Bissau: power dynamics, actors and prospects for stabilisation.
- Drug trafficking networks and the country’s role as a transit hub: routes, criminal economies and regional spillover.
- Irregular migration: drivers, maritime/overland routes and humanitarian dimensions.
- Security cooperation and state‑building: EU and UK tools, limitations and ethical dilemmas.
- Policy opportunities: targeted sanctions, maritime security, development diplomacy, regional partnerships and civil‑society engagement.
- Risks and unintended consequences: securitisation, legitimising coups, and the trade‑offs of intervention.
Format
- Keynote by H.E. Federico Bianchi di Mantano Antilia
- Conversation with Q&A
- Short case study: policy options for the EU and the UK (student discussants invited)
Digital Diplomacy: Shaping Influence in a Connected – and Contested – World
Synopsis:
Digital technology has reconfigured how states, institutions and non‑state actors project influence. From real‑time crisis diplomacy to disinformation campaigns, platforms and data practices now shape outcomes as much as traditional tools of foreign policy. This session examines digital diplomacy both as an instrument and as a domain to be governed: how embassies use social media and data to build resilience; how digital platforms are leveraged by authoritarian and criminal actors; and how diplomatic practice must adapt to ethical, legal and strategic challenges.
What you will learn:
- Practical use cases: digital public diplomacy, crisis comms, and narrative management during instability.
- Tools and tactics: social listening, targeted outreach, influencer engagement and rapid response.
- Counter‑measures: counter‑disinformation, digital resilience for missions and safeguarding civil liberties.
- Policy and governance: platform regulation, cross‑border data flows and norms for state behaviour online.
- Careers in digital diplomacy: roles, skillsets and pathways for students entering foreign policy and tech‑policy fields.
Format:
- Presentation by H.E. Federico Bianchi di Mantano Antilia
- Demonstration: a short digital mis information campaign simulation tied to Day 1’s Guinea‑Bissau case
- Panel-style discussion and interactive Q&A with practical takeaways
Meet the Speaker
Federico Bianchi di Montano Antilia – is the EU Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. In this role since September 2025, he has witnessed the country’s unsuccessful elections and ensuing coup d’etat in November of last year.
Prior to his current role, Federico was from January 2020 to August 2025, the first ever EU Spokesperson to the UK, contributing – post Brexit - to analysing and shaping narratives at a pivotal time in EU-UK relations.
Moreover, in London, he also served as: Head of Press and Media at the Italian Embassy to the U.K. (2015-2019), Senior Comms Adviser at the U.K. Foreign Office (2014-2015).
Further past experiences include postings: in Islamabad as First Secretary and Head of the Economic Section of the Italian Embassy (2011-2014), in Shanghai (2011) and Rome (2009-2011) as Italian diplomat; in Montreal (2008-2009) as G7 outreach coordinator for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP - CBD); in Brussels (2003-2008) for the EU institutions with multiple roles.
Between 2021 and 2025, Federico was the elected President of the Diplomatic Press Attaches Association in London (DPAAL). Winner of the Young Diplomat of the Year Award (London, 2018), Federico is also Freeman of the City of London, member of the Worshipful Company of Communicators, Honorary Life member of the Oxford University Italian Society and Member of the Scientific Committee of the Hub on Corporate communications of the IULM University of Milan.
Federico graduated in law with honours from the University of Naples and holds a PhD on EU-US-China relations from the University of Salerno, as well as master’s degrees in international relations and diplomatic studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, the University of Rome and the United Nations institute (SIOI) in Rome. Author of a number of publications on EU law, Federico speaks fluently English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and basic Mandarin & Urdu.
More information about the event
This event is convened and hosted by LSE IDEAS.
LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.
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