Portugal in the nuclear realm: A case of broad ‘multilateralization’

• Author(s): Fernandes, S. ; Ferreira, D. S.
• Date: 2023
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/31079
• Origin: Repositório ISCTE
• Subject(s): Nuclear weapons; Portugal; EU; NATO; Multilateralism
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English

Description

Nuclear proliferation and nuclear disarmament have regained centrality in the global security agenda. The weakening of existing regimes and the search by a growing number of states to acquire or extend their nuclear capacities have contributed to shape recent developments. This paper analyses how Portugal’s foreign policy orientations, grounded on its Euro-Atlantic identity with a global vocation and a colonial past, matter in defining its nuclear policies. We argue that while processes of ‘Europeanisation’ and ‘NATO-isation’ explain their adoption, Portuguese nuclear policies are better explained by the country’s broader multilateralist approach to security.