WI: An independent Azores after 1975?

After the Carnation Revolution there was a movement to gain independence for the Azores, what if it had been successful?
 
After the Carnation Revolution there was a movement to gain independence for the Azores, what if it had been successful?
I've read that it was more of a CIA scheme, to set up a client regime that would let the USA retain basing rights there if Portugal itself went fully 'Red', than a movement with significant local support.
 
I doubt it if an independent Azores would be succesful. What can these tiny islands offer besides fish and some flowers...
 
I doubt it if an independent Azores would be succesful. What can these tiny islands offer besides fish and some flowers...

An airbase. The FLA was only ever meant as a "rather independent than red" movement. The basic idea was that if Portugal went commie, the US would back a temporary independence in order to ensure the countinued use of the Lages airbase, a pretty useful refueling stop in the middle of the Atlantic...

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I've read that it was more of a CIA scheme, to set up a client regime that would let the USA retain basing rights there if Portugal itself went fully 'Red', than a movement with significant local support.

From what I heard there was some significant local support. Mostly of the fear that Portugal would go red. I guess we would have to have Portugal really go red, which may be a little difficult.
 
From what I heard there was some significant local support. Mostly of the fear that Portugal would go red. I guess we would have to have Portugal really go red, which may be a little difficult.

There was a moment when that seemed like a possibility, but in November 25th 1975 the "reds" backed down and the "blues" won clearly. But FLA was, and in way till is, a bargainning tool for local politicians to try and get more money out of the Lisbon authorities...
And the FLA as for the islanders a romantic appel. I call it the islanders Halloween. Some people fantasize at being vampires, some islanders fantasize at being hardcore independence activists... It's basically harmeless, mostly because the islands had 0 humans when the portuguese got there so there is no logical rational for independence...
Do note that the Azores are very proud and serious about having been the last place in Portugal to give up in the fight against Spain in the 1580 occupation, and the FLA took its rational a bit from there, from rather alone than spanish in 1580 to rather alone than red in 1975

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Cook

Banned
I doubt it if an independent Azores would be succesful. What can these tiny islands offer besides fish and some flowers...
It would be a country twice the size of Rhode Island and with less than a quarter of the population density. Alternatively it could be considered a warm Atlantic version of Iceland or a tourist destination 40 times larger than Bermuda and less than an hour’s flying time from much of Europe. And Tax Havens don’t really need to be large to be successful.
 
It would be a country twice the size of Rhode Island and with less than a quarter of the population density. Alternatively it could be considered a warm Atlantic version of Iceland or a tourist destination 40 times larger than Bermuda and less than an hour’s flying time from much of Europe. And Tax Havens don’t really need to be large to be successful.

I was thinking more along the lines of a Tax Haven as well. And the site of a major US military base.
 
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