With his usual prudence, President José Manuel Bolieiro raised the possibility of improving the Lajes Agreement for debate. He did so at a conference organized by FLAD (Luso-American Development Foundation) in Praia da Vitória (yesterday and today). In truth, it is an old agreement (dating from 1995), full of loopholes and which was already bad from the outset (as explained, for example, by Medeiros Ferreira and Luís Andrade, among many others; one need only consult their works).

In fact, Portugal and the US signed two agreements in the mid-1990s. The US signed an agreement to have access to Lajes (as profusely documented), while Portugal signed a pompous Cooperation and Defense agreement. In practice, the US got what it wanted. Portugal got the crumbs it could within the scope of a contract that never went beyond an executive deal for the US (not ratified by the legislature). In contrast, Portugal ratified the document in the Assembly of the Republic with the consequences that are well known, for example, in terms of labor law, including the transformation of Portuguese workers into non-citizens by denying them the benefit of favorable court rulings. And this is just one example. It should be noted that the Azores were left empty-handed with this agreement.

The 1995 agreement did not take into account the realities of the international system at the time, due to what appears to be a lack of understanding on the part of the Portuguese, and is now completely outdated given the changes that have occurred in the world. Does this mean that we should look at this agreement? Of course – look at it, yes, and perhaps cry. And turn it completely upside down? Or just tweak it? Does prudence advise this path? Our opinion is negative. The Azores, first of all, do not have the critical mass (they never wanted to have it, which is astonishing) to guarantee sufficient knowledge in the relevant areas, meaning that Azorean policymakers will be left at a disadvantage in a negotiation scenario. Portugal, despite what we may hear and see, but not read, also lacks knowledge, at least in the right places, and political decision-makers and other players in international negotiations are not inclined to welcome the interests of the Azores, which is another serious problem. The US has become a predatory power, which is dangerous in a negotiation scenario.

The solution? First and foremost, we must prepare ourselves well. And wait. The world is undergoing rapid change. The geostrategic space of the Atlantic is boiling. With cutting-edge knowledge—prospective, etc.—we can tempt fate and perhaps achieve a good agreement. But not now, for heaven’s sake…

In Diário Insular-José Louren’ço, director, and Armando Mendes (PhD), editor-in-chief.

NOVIDADES will feature occasional opinion pieces from various leading thinkers and writers from the Azores, providing the diaspora and those interested in the current state of the Azores with a sense of the significant opinions on some of the archipelago’s issues.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL).