5th OBSERVARE International Congress
24–26 November
OBSERVARE – the Observatory of Foreign Relations, a research centre in International Relations at the Autonomous University of Lisbon (UAL), is organising its 5th International Conference, which will take place from 24 to 26 November 2026 at UAL and the National Defence Institute (IDN).
Under the overarching theme of INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, GEOPOLITICS AND GEOECONOMICS, the 5th OBSERVARE International Congress will address the following central question: are contemporary international relations characterised by the return of geopolitics or by the primacy of geoeconomics?
This overarching theme is justified by the well-known relevance of geopolitics and geoeconomics in current international dynamics and in the calculations and behaviour of actors; it encompasses multiple and distinct sub-themes, ranging from the connections between international business and geopolitics to the impacts of new technologies, the energy transition and the climate crisis, the analysis of conflicts and peace processes,
territorial disputes, resources and supply chains, control of spaces and power struggles in regional areas and cyberspace, new territory-population-political power equations, economic power versus military power, new versions of centre versus periphery, political and geostrategic (re)alignments, interdependencies, dependencies and strategic autonomy, the role of non-state actors, protectionism and multilateralism, new forms and dimensions of war, the role of identities and cultures, discussions on the international order and globalisation, and debates on theories, concepts and new approaches to understanding and explaining International Relations.
In addition to lectures by guest speakers and panels organised by institutional partners, we invite submissions of papers to be presented at the 5th OBSERVARE Congress – proposals must be submitted BY 16 October, using the form available here
The Congress proceedings will generally be conducted in English, although some panels and papers may be held in Portuguese or Spanish. Ample time for debate is scheduled for all panels and sessions, and participants are strongly encouraged to take part.
In addition to the Book of Abstracts, there is the possibility of publishing a scientific article in the journal JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations (indexed in Scopus, amongst other networks)
During the Congress, the 2026 ‘OBSERVARE Awards’ will be presented, honouring an individual and an institution that serve as inspiring examples, whether through their intellectual contributions or through actions aimed at fostering solidarity amongst peoples or the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
FURTHER INFORMATION HERE
