Alberto Cunha

Research Associate
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Alberto Cunha holds a PhD in European Studies from King's College London and a Master's degree in R.I. from ISCSP. He is currently a lecturer at two universities in Berlin and an associate researcher at the Institute for European Policy (IEP Berlin). Previous professional experience includes a year at the Portuguese Embassy in the USA and six months at the Portuguese Representation to the OECD.
My master's thesis analyzed German and French national interests in EU defense policy and their political structures, and won an honorable mention in the 2020 edition of the Jacques Delors Prize. My PhD thesis proposed an alternative model for the concept of (regional) 'hegemony', empirically tested with regard to Germany's power in the context of Economic and Monetary Union during the Euro crisis, including 24 interviews with former members of three European governments and officials. Publications include two articles in R:I out of a total of five academic articles, several articles in political publications and a project to publish the doctoral thesis as a book by Palgrave (writing in progress).

Research Interests:

European Union - institutions and policies.
European foreign policies.
International relations, particularly in the context of Europe and Latin America.
NATO / Transatlantic Alliance.

Recent Publications:

1. Cunha A. e Pimenta, D. (2025). Echoes from the Past? Illiberal Parties and Militant Democracy in Contemporary Germany and Portugal. German Politics, special issue on ‘Militant Democracy’ (under review)

2. Cunha, A. (2025). A re-foundation of the EU’s budget: rethinking fiscal and financial capacity needed to Make the EU Great (Again?). Real Instituto Elcano de Estudios Internacionales y Estratégicos

 3. Cunha, A. (2023). Deutschland als Hegemon in der Eurozone? Der “bestimmende Einfluss” der deutschen ordoliberalen Ideologie. Integration, volume 46, issue 1, pp. 38-58.

DOI: 10.5771/0720-5120-2023-1-38

4. Cunha, A. (2021).  A Alemanha de Merkel durante e após a crise do euro: Hegemonia relutante? Relações Internacionais (R: I), issue 70, pp. 33-53. DOI: 10.23906/ri2021.70a03

5. Cunha, A. (2020). Post-Brexit EU Defence Policy: Is Germany Leading towards a European Army? E-international relations.