Abstract

SOUSA, Pedro Ponte e. The «economic diplomacy» on the contemporary Portuguese foreign policy: conceptual and theoretical problems. Relações Internacionais [online]. 2019, n.61, pp.47-61. ISSN 1645-9199.  https://doi.org/10.23906/ri2019.61a05.

Particularly since the late 20th century, “economic diplomacy” and the internationalization of the economy have been promoted by governments, diplomats and bureaucratic agencies as a crucial element to be developed in a new foreign policy strategy. Recently, several scholars also argue for the need to strengthen and advance that dimension in Portuguese foreign policy. We will seek to critically analyse those proposals, in their conceptual, theoretical and their empirical elements. We also discuss the authors' arguments making the case for a greater investment on economic diplomacy, the use of a “national interest” rhetoric, and the use of “economic diplomacy” as a concept versus “commercial diplomacy”, given the different means and goals associated with each of them.

Keywords : economic diplomacy; commercial diplomacy; Portuguese foreign policy; internationalization of the Portuguese economy.

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