The Pillars of Portuguese Foreign Policy: From the First Globalisation to the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This chapter aims to identify the pillars of Portuguese Foreign Policy from what we call the first globalisation until the current World Order. We will begin by defining the concept World Order and Diplomacy in the Global World. We will describe the main pillars of diplomacy as the key instrument to carry out any Foreign Policy. Additionally, we will analyse the Portuguese Foreign Policy and the role of Portugal in the world from the moment of empire building (1415) to the restitution of Macao to China (1999). In revisiting the first globalisation to the current World Order, we will list the different networks Portugal is part of: the institutional networks as well as the informal networks, as its Shadow Empire. Finally, we will attempt to define the guiding principles that could model a potential Portuguese Foreign Policy in our Global World Order. As main conclusion, we argue that Portugal’s key geography based on both land and sea has been an omnipresent feature in shaping the country’s Foreign Policy.