In a world in turmoil, the role of diplomacy, far from having waned, is increasingly important. The values and principles of diplomatic practice are the result of a long trajectory, influenced by moments that are sometimes peaceful, other times belligerent, marked by power relations.
However, we have many examples of historical moments in which the spotlight was stolen by actors who did not seem to be the strongest. Either because they practiced neutrality, positioned themselves in the right place, because they had some economic or other advantages over others, or simply because they had leaders with a global dimension capable of transcending the limits of their origins.
The role of language in diplomatic affirmation grew as communications became easier. With the almost unlimited access to knowledge provided by the internet, globalization has entered the homes of almost everyone, and the colossal accumulated knowledge has become accessible in the palm of the hand.
To do this, we just need to master the language of the internet, and for this we need a language. If we admit that English is in fact the lingua franca of technology, it is natural that, little by little, especially among the younger classes, its power of seduction is irresistible.
We must not deny that the more the lingua franca is mastered, the greater the role it can play in the diplomatic space. Those who write better and are sophisticated in expressing themselves in English score points in any negotiation. But it wasn’t always like that, and it doesn’t have to be.
In the mid-14th century, French became the most widely spoken language in Europe and thus acquired its status as the language of diplomacy in the international space of the time. Although the Hundred Years’ War, which ended in 1453, had an impact on English nationalism, to the point where English authorities tried to ban French, the reality is that French continued to thrive as the language of diplomacy across Europe. . Nowadays we see tensions between powerful countries occupy the geopolitical terrain and lead China in particular to aggressively spread Mandarin.
Portuguese is the sixth most used language on the internet, but, of those that precede it, Malay-Indonesian has no diplomatic projection. The other four —English, Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic— do have the status of official language in international organizations and are all growing. But the paradox is that two others with equal international recognition —French and Russian— are being increasingly distanced by Portuguese in terms of number of speakers and internet penetration.
A policy to consolidate what demography facilitates and the geographic discontinuity of the Portuguese-speaking space potentiates requires a much more elaborate strategy and a very strong political motivation. Only Brazil has the set of elements that can pull this cart. But for now, Brazil is content with the “Brasil Cultural” program to spread the language. Despite being present in more than 40 countries, almost no one has heard of this program. Nothing close to the means that other competitors employ and far from the connection between language and so-called soft power, an approach to international relations, usually involving the use of economic or cultural influence.
The CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries) walks lame and without any diplomatic prominence even when Portuguese-speaking countries are the protagonists or theater of crises. The promotion of content in Portuguese is at the mercy of the translation capabilities of Google’s artificial intelligence or other search engines. No Portuguese-speaking university is among the top 100 in any international ranking, and the number of patents registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization is insignificant.
The Portuguese-speaking space can celebrate some victories, such as having the current UN Secretary-General, the Portuguese António Guterres, or having Brazil in the Brics (bloc with Russia, India, China and South Africa), but it must be recognized that these spasms are not part of a strategy. If the biggest, most influential, most powerful Portuguese-speaking country doesn’t lead, the rest don’t fly.
