Rate My Professor Carlos Mendes

Carlos Mendes is a professor in the Department of Political Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, contributing to the Political Science and International Relations program. He earned his Licenciatura in Military Sciences specializing in Artillery from the Academia Militar, a postgraduate diploma in Peace and War Studies from the Instituto de Estudos Estratégicos e Internacionais (ISEGI/ADN), a Master's degree in Strategy from Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, and a PhD in International Relations from NOVA FCSH with the thesis 'A Política Externa de Portugal para a PESC: O caso Moçambique (1992-2007)'. As a retired Army Colonel since December 2016, he brings extensive military and strategic expertise to his academic role.

Mendes has taught at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels across several institutions, including the Academia Militar, Instituto Superior de Ciências Policiais e de Segurança Interna (ISCIA), Universidade Lusófona, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, and NOVA FCSH, where he delivers the Geopolitics course. He currently serves as a professor at the Instituto Universitário Militar (IUM) and as a collaborating researcher affiliated with UID-IUM. As President of the Centro Português de Geopolítica (CPG), he leads initiatives in geopolitical analysis. His research focuses on geopolitics, defense policy, and international security, with key publications including the book Geopolítica: Conceptualização clássica, Sílabas & Desafios (Faro, 2018), contributions to Ratzel, Haushofer e as duas Guerras Mundiais do Século XX, and peer-reviewed articles such as 'Portugal's Changing Defense Industry: Is the Triple Helix Model of Knowledge Society Replacing State Leadership Model?' (2020) and 'University-Industry-Government Relations in the Portuguese Defense Industry: Policy Implications' (2022). Mendes frequently provides expert commentary on global conflicts for media outlets including CNN Portugal and SIC Notícias, enhancing the impact of his work in Political Science.