On April 14th, 2026, Mario Del Pero, Professor of International History at Sciences Po Paris, delivered a lecture on the history of the Atlantic Alliance between the United States and its European allies entitled, “Past and Future of the Transatlantic Alliance: A Historical Perspective.” Thirty faculty and students attended the lecture. Del Pero regularly comments on current affairs for the Italian newspapers Il Domani and Il Giornale di Brescia, and has appeared in major international outlets such as The Washington Post, Le Monde, The Guardian, Le Figaro, and the Los Angeles Times. This conference was sponsored by the Sciences Po American Foundation and was organized by IES’ Center of Excellence in French and Francophone Studies and Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education of the French Embassy in the US. Del Pero focused on recurring crises and repeated predictions of the alliance’s inevitable decline. 
Del Pero’s lecture was introduced by Dr. Claire Tourmen, Director of IES’ Center of Excellence in French and Francophone Studies, and Dr. David Do Paço, Academic Cooperation Attaché at the Villa Albertine / French Embassy in the US. Both highlighted the longstanding academic cooperation between UC Berkeley and France. Del Pero then introduced his central theme, the complex transatlantic relationship within the North Atlantic Alliance, which can be traced back to the post-World War II period. He presented graphs showing direct investment between the United States and the European Union to demonstrate the strength of the alliance and to illustrate how international investment has been a core component of the relationship. He then turned to security as another key dimension of integration. Security within the North Atlantic Alliance, he argued, has been anchored by Article 5, NATO’s collective defense clause, which has been invoked only once by European allies, following the events of September 11th. Del Pero further outlined additional pillars of the alliance, including capital flows, trade in goods, education, and student exchange. He highlighted data showing that a significant proportion of American students studying abroad, over sixty-four percent, choose European destinations.
The latter half of the lecture examined differing perspectives on NATO among its member-states. Del Pero presented notable quotes from major political figures across the twentieth century to the present, illustrating how stereotypes and tensions have persisted despite the alliance. He also referenced key historical moments that have shaped transatlantic relations, such as the reunification of Germany in the 1990s. Through these examples, Del Pero emphasized a shift in how the alliance is framed, from a civilizational project to one grounded in democratic values, citing, in particular, President Biden’s 2024 speech. Del Pero later addressed the current state of transatlantic relations. He analyzed recent policy texts from the U.S. administration, and discussed the varying popularity of U.S. presidents across European countries. Challenging the common assumption of continuity, he argued that a new phase may be emerging. He closed by inviting the audience to consider the possibility of an end to the North Atlantic relationship as it is currently shaped.