Moderated by Prof. Jarrod Hayes, this lecture will address the U.S.-Portugal bilateral ties date from the earliest years of the United States, when Portugal recognized the United States in 1791 following the Revolutionary War. Since then the two countries have collaborated on a range of issues. In this conversation, Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital will discuss his almost seven years as the Portuguese Ambassador to U.S., the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, accomplishments of Portugal in the EU, the future of NATO/transatlantic community in a presumed Pacific century, bi-lateral US-Portugal relations, the challenges and opportunities for EU-Portugal relations in the next decade, and the role of the Portuguese in international organizations over the past two decades.