Portugal and global security threats in the post-Cold War era: Strategic Concepts of National Defense (CEDN)
One of the most important tools to understand trends and directions of Portugal in security and defense is the study of the various CEDN. Being more stable and durable than the strategies defined by each government, these documents seek to define the state’s priorities for security in the near future and are strongly related to the foreign policy and national defense of Portugal. They also represent, through the moderation and coordination of the government, what the main actors in the field consider to be the national interest. We are particularly interested in how, given a global environment and since the end of the Cold War, (new?) threats and risks are recognized, incorporated and dissected by these actors in this security strategy. We will seek to answer these questions: How are the risks and global threats Portugal is facing both understood and treated in the various CEDN? What are the threats and risks to the security of Portugal identified by decision-makers? Are there changes over time regarding this identification? The results seem that to indicate that, if there is a securitization process, it is limited in scope and nature or ‘partial’, with a limited existence of extraordinary measures or even failing to recognize an urgent and existential threat to the country.
Pedro Ponte e Sousa . pedrosousa_pps@hotmail.com
FCSH-UNL
PhD Fellow in Global Studies, Department of Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities – New University of Lisbon. MA in History, International Relations and Cooperation by the University of Porto, and BA in Languages and International Relations by the same institution. Research interests: Portuguese foreign policy; foreign policy analysis; small states; diplomacy.