Paper short abstract:

Recently, some authors argue for the need to strengthen and advance 'sea-related' issues as key in contemporary Portuguese FP. This is a critical literature review on those proposals, considering both conceptual, theoretical and their empirical elements.

Paper long abstract:

Omnipresent in the history of Portuguese foreign relations, the sea was deeply attached with the imperial enterprise: it was both the means of expansion to new territories, and, as such, the element with could strengthen the elements of power of the country (related with concrete power-enhancing strategies). Indeed, it played both a sort of metaphoric role, where 'sea' in Portuguese foreign policy (FP) meant empire and imperial expansion.

The metaphoric role of the sea in Portuguese FP was sharply reduced, particularly since the end of the colonialism (1974). Nevertheless, in a number of recent publications, some authors argue for the need to strengthen and advance this element as key in contemporary Portuguese FP. In this paper, we will seek to convey a critical literature review on those proposals, considering both conceptual, theoretical and their empirical elements. Particularly, we will (1) question how they propose specific FP strategies and goals (namely, we defend that they hardly relate with FP in itself), as well as (2) not relating directly with international relations, at least in most cases (but rather with public policy). Thus, we claim that (3) this new link between FP and 'sea-related' issues can only be understood in a strictly realist perspective, as it might strengthen the elements of power of the country, and yet most authors fail to convey such connection (or to use realism in their study, or to resort to any IR theory).