The globalization process that has been unfolding for several years has in cultural terms resulted not only in a degree of global homogenization but also (and above all) in significant local heterogeneities, which in some cases have become part of organized spaces aiming to bring together members of a single linguistic and cultural space. It was in this context that the Portuguese-speaking countries founded an organization that unites them: the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). This paper outlines the difficulties this organization faces and argues that these are due not only to threefold diversity (geographic, cultural, and linguistic as well as economic and social) but also to its shared leadership between Brazil and Portugal, which is currently preventing it from becoming a fully-fledged player on the international scene.