Firstly, I think it needs to be acknowledged that Portugal was arguably the first European superpower, starting from the early 15th century. read more
Portugal is blocked after Spain, stuck in the Atlantic far west of Europe. Portugal is also very small compared with the surrounding Spain, and other great nations of Europe. That is the reason why, instead of expanding Europe to become a continental superpower, they expanded across ocean to become a world superpower. read more
Sixty years after the Treaty of Rome, many view Europe as a spent force in global politics. Conventional wisdom states that world politics today is unipolar, with the United States as the sole superpower. Or perhaps it is multipolar, with China, India, and the rest rising to challenge Western powers. read more