Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 12 - Año: 2018 - Págs.: 299 a 323 309 Luis Manuel Brás Bernardino & Álvaro António Moreira dos Santos The portuguese... reflect the fundamental principles defended by Moravcsik in the relationship between the domestic rebuilding process and foreign aid.36. The key actors in present-day international politics are the individuals and specific groups with influence on the processes. States represent a subset of societal actors, wherein social pressures often determine national preferences. In this sense, their offi-cial representatives define the preferences of states acting consciously in international politics in accordance with the interests of that society and with the pressures to which they are subjected. We believe that this happened in East Timor in relation to its pre-ference and insistence on Portugal in the “Timorese cause”, which proved decisive for the recent history of both countries. The interdependence between state preferences influences their behaviour, in other words, relations between states conform to their interests and not their power. On this assumption, the cooperation established between Portugal and East Timor in the field of defence, bearing in mind the social actors involved, is an example of the interest of the two states in the construction of an independent State. Since the outset of the construction of the State of East Timor, Portugal has actively participated, particularly in the defence sector, with military cooperation activities in human resource development processes and the institutional training of the F-FDTL37. It is noteworthy that in the framework of Official Development Assistance (Oda) to East Timor, Portugal had donated almost €470 million up to 2014 through its foreign policy activities.38 Official Development Assistance is provided in the fra-mework of East-West, North-South relations, the fruit of a simplistic bipolar view of the world, of decolonization and the dynamics of globalisation39, constituting finan-cing and state-building mechanisms for the development of its primary functions, to guarantee the security and development of the country. Based on its geographic and geostrategic position, Portugal has conducted a policy of strategic cooperation and ODA with a political dimension, with which it seeks to contribute to its national affirmation within the European Union (EU), the Com-munity of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and worldwide. In this context, it constitutes a meeting point between civilizations and continents, uniting Europe 36 MORAVCSIK, Andrew. «Liberalism and International Relations Theory». Center for European Studies, Paper No. 92-6 de 1992. Harvard University, pp. 2-36. Available at <http://www.princeton. edu/~amoravcs/library/liberalism_working.pdf> 3 November 2016. 37 AZEVEDO, Gonçalo J. S.; CALMEIRO, Luís M. A. O Exército Português em Timor-Leste. Lisboa: Secção de Cooperação Militar e Alianças do Gabinete do General Chefe do Estado-Maior do Exército, 2004, pp. 170-179. 38 CAMÕES – INSTITUTO DA COOPERAÇÃO E DA LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA. «Cooperação Portugal – Timor-Leste». Available at <http://www.instituto-camoes.pt> 03 November 2016. 39 PALMA, Elisabete Cortes. Cultura, Desenvolvimento e Política Externa: Ajuda Pública ao Desenvolvimento nos Países Africanos Lusófonos, Lisboa: Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, 2006. Op. cit., p. 44.
Revista_IEEE_12
To see the actual publication please follow the link above