Teixeira, Nuno Severiano

(1957- )

   Portuguese scholar and politician, example of a new generation of academically trained public servants who favor a pan-European vision. Born in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, in 1957, he received most of his education in Europe. Educated as a career academic, he received a master's degree in history from the Faculty of Letters, Classical University of Lisbon in 1981, and his doctorate in the history of international relations from the European University Institute, Florence, Italy in 1994. He also received a higher degree in 2005 in political science and international relations from the New University of Lisbon. He held various teaching and research posts in academia in Italy, the United States, and Portugal, as well as visiting professor post appointments at American universities, including Georgetown University and the University of California, Berkeley, between 2000 and 2003. He was active in international research networks and scholarly conferences and publications, including the American-based International Conference Group on Portugal (1972-2002).

   A member of the Socialist Party, Teixeira was director of the Instituto da Defesa Nacional, a government academy and think-tank, from 1996 to 2000 and, from 2000 to 2002, he served as minister of internal administration. From 2003 to 2006, he was the director of the Portuguese Institute of International Relations, at the New University of Lisbon. In July 2006, he became Portugal's minister of national defense in the government of Prime Minister José Sócrates. His scholarly publications are numerous, including books on modern history, the European Union, and defense and war studies. As defense minister, Teixeira was active in the pan-European activities of the European Union (EU) and made important contributions as a speaker and theorist. In EU meetings, he analyzed strategic defense planning in order to help determine the future military roles of the EU as it dealt with transnational terrorism, failed states, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.