Sovereignty under construction: Amílcar Cabral and the reconfiguration of Lusophone countries in the international system

Abstract

Under the title "Sovereignty under Construction: Amílcar Cabral and the Reconfiguration of Lusophone Countries in the International System", this article examines the theoretical evolution and contemporary applications of sovereignty in the Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP), focusing on the intellectual and political legacy of Amílcar Cabral. It analyses how classical Western notions of sovereignty - from popular sovereignty theories to the Westphalian state-centric model - were reinterpreted by anti-colonial thought to construct an endogenous framework of national liberation. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, historical-analytical approach anchored in critical conceptual reconstruction, thematic content analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis across Cabral’s core primary texts and contemporary diplomatic literature. Mobilizing Samir Amin’s structural critique of unequal development, the paper demonstrates that political independence without economic "delinking" resulted in an "unfinished sovereignty" marked by peripheral integration into the global capitalist system. Finally, it explores how PALOP states currently navigate this structural tension, leveraging variable geometry and strategic autonomy across multilateral arenas (CPLP, ECOWAS, SADC, UN) to assert their agency in an emerging multipolar order.