Tribute to James Walston

(Vatican Radio) It is with great sadness that the English Section of Vatican Radio learnt of the death of Professor James Walston, a longtime friend and a precious collaborator.

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Throughout the years he was here to explain, with knowledge, clarity of thought, eloquence and amazing communications skills, the daunting intricacies of Italian politics.

Thanks to James Walston, we – and many of our listeners – were able to understand and to put into context the countless “ups and downs” and “ins and outs” of a morphing “right” and an elusive “left” as politicians emerged and then appeared to sink – only to surface again in what we thought was a different historical and political era…

Insert: "The exceptional nature of this change of government is that it has all come from within a single political party. This sort of thing used to happen a long time ago with the Christian Democrats..."

Professor James Walston passed away on Monday 12 May after a long illness. An expert in Italian politics and modern history, he was driving force at the American University of Rome where he was the chair of the University’s Department of International Relations. In 2008 he set up the Center for Research on Racism in Italy together with Clough Marinaro. In 1997 he became the first EU citizen to stand for election to the Rome City Council. As pointed out by his own colleagues at the AUR: “His blog and his many newspaper articles as well as his media interviews illuminated the otherwise complicated arena of Italian politics, and won him firm friends from every part of Rome”.

We will miss James, his knowledge, and his deep love for Rome and for Italy.

Vatican Radio’s English Section