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

Abstract

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.