Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s travails, Portugal heads into tonight’s World Cup knockout match against Croatia as a strong contender to win this year\u2019s tournament. Victory in Toronto tonight would keep it on track for the latter stages \u2014 and reinforce a national brand that has consolidated the Atlantic country as a powerhouse far beyond the soccer field.<\/p>\n
Portugal is home to just over 10 million people and has a modest economic footprint, but the small European nation has a remarkable track record when it comes to placing its candidates in top posts around the world.<\/p>\n
Within the EU, Portugal stands out as having had more of its candidates occupy top institutional posts than any of the bloc\u2019s other member countries. Since 1986, Portuguese citizens have served as president of the European Commission, the Court of Auditors, the Eurogroup, the Committee of the Regions \u2014 and former Prime Minister Ant\u00f3nio Costa currently presides over the European Council<\/a>. There has also been a Portuguese EU ombudsman, a vice president of the European Central Bank and nine vice presidents of the European Parliament.<\/p>\n Beyond the bloc, former Prime Minister Ant\u00f3nio Guterres currently serves as United Nations secretary-general. And just last month the country scored a fresh diplomatic victory by beating out<\/a> the larger, wealthier and more globally influential Germany to secure one of the vacant, nonpermanent seats on the U.N. Security Council.<\/p>\n According to former Portuguese Secretary of State for Internationalization Bernardo Ivo Cruz, Lisbon\u2019s decision to go after top jobs on the global stage is an existential matter.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter democracy was restored following the 1974 Carnation Revolution<\/a>, we realized that our survival as a country depended on multilateralism: we\u2019re too small to guarantee our strategic interests, and those of our citizens, on our own,\u201d he said. \u201cTo do that, we needed to guarantee the world remained a place governed by the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n The former diplomat said Portugal had worked hard to establish itself as a fair player that is capable of speaking with everyone on equal terms. \u201cBeing a small country is actually an advantage, because no one is afraid of us, and that makes us nonthreatening interlocutors,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n Thanks to its nearly 900-year history, Portugal has long-standing relationships with nearly every other nation. The bonds are especially strong with Portuguese-speaking former colonies like Brazil, Macau and Cape Verde, parts of the world with which Lisbon has worked to forge ties based on equal terms. And those good vibes among allies have been instrumental in having Portuguese candidates confirmed to posts where neutrality and a respect for the rules of diplomacy are paramount.<\/p>\n \u201cThe candidates that secure these top posts aren\u2019t supposed to unfairly benefit their home countries,\u201d Cruz noted. \u201cBut they benefit Portugal in a broad sense because they defend that multilateralism that benefits all countries, including our own.\u201d<\/p>\n The matter, he added, was taken so seriously in Portugal that the country\u2019s politicians had a habit of backing their candidates for international posts no matter what their politics might be.<\/p>\n \u201cOur stance is that we never mix up internal drama with things happening beyond our borders,\u201d he said. \u201cYou may hate someone in Lisbon, but the moment they\u2019re up for an important post it becomes a matter of defending the interests of the state, and personal issues have no relevance there.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond political institutions like the U.N. or the European Council, Cruz said Portugal had a vested interest in the kind of soft diplomacy that plays out in sporting events like the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cEvidently, if we end up winning this match, it only reinforces our country\u2019s international prestige, and is a cause for celebration,\u201d But, he added, \u201cwhatever happens, I think this edition of the World Cup is turning out to be a success for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRather than hooliganism, what we\u2019ve seen are the Scots marching through U.S. cities with their bagpipes and kilts<\/a>, the Norwegians delighting American spectators with their rowing rituals<\/a>,\u201d he noted. \u201cAt a moment of such immense global tension, we all win by having this competition be defined by friendly celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, in much the same way that the small European nation is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to football, it also punches far above its weight in terms of broad international influence.<\/p>\n