Portugal, Angola, and NATO: New Horizons for the South Atlantic and the Role for Portuguese Diplomacy

This book chapter examines Portugal’s role as a founding member of NATO and its strategic cooperation with Angola within the evolving security landscape of the South Atlantic. It analyses the 1996 Defence Cooperation Agreement between Portugal and Angola as a key mechanism through which Portugal reinforces its relevance within NATO while facilitating the projection of the Alliance’s values beyond the Euro-Atlantic area. Drawing on a qualitative and analytical approach, the chapter explores Portugal’s intermediary role in NATO–Africa relations, Angola’s growing regional agency, and the implications of this partnership for maritime security, counterterrorism, and nuclear non-proliferation. Adopting a critical perspective on Lusophony, the chapter highlights both the opportunities and the structural asymmetries embedded in post-colonial defence cooperation, contributing to broader debates on security governance, alliance politics, and small-state diplomacy in a multipolar world.