Where is the conference being held?

The conference is being held in Quebec City, CAN.

What is the primary focus of this conference?

The primary focus is on the new connections between trade, investment, security, and defense, particularly concerning economic and military sovereignties in the face of globalization and geopolitical turmoil.

What is the format of the event?

The event is a conference, suggesting a format that includes presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities.

Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil – New Connections Between Trade, Investment, Security, and Defence (2nd edition)

Name: Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil – New Connections Between Trade, Investment, Security, and Defence (2nd edition)
Start: 2026-09-30T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z
Location: Quebec City

Sep 30 – Oct 2, 2026Quebec City, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

The conference on "Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil" explores the evolving relationship between economic and military power in a globalized world. It focuses on how nations navigate the complexities of international trade, investment, security, and defense amidst significant geopolitical shifts. This event serves as a critical platform for understanding the contemporary challenges to national sovereignty and the strategies states employ to maintain control over their economic and security destinies.

Committees & topics

Topics
Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil · Revisiting the 1948 Genocide Convention in the 21st Century · BRICS and Global Leadership · Stochastic Terrorism · Climate Change Conflicts · Energy Grid Attacks · Drone Regulation · State-Sponsored Terrorism

Why it matters

In an era defined by interconnected economies and heightened geopolitical tensions, the traditional understanding of national sovereignty is being re-evaluated. This conference addresses the crucial interplay between a nation's economic strength and its capacity for self-defense, highlighting how these factors are increasingly intertwined. The discussions will shed light on how global supply chains, international financial flows, and cross-border security threats necessitate a re-thinking of national strategies.

The event is particularly relevant given the ongoing shifts in global power dynamics and the emergence of new forms of competition and cooperation. Understanding the nuances of economic and military sovereignty is essential for policymakers, academics, and practitioners seeking to develop robust national and international policies. The insights generated will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how states can safeguard their interests while engaging with a complex and interdependent world.

How to prepare

To effectively engage with the themes of this conference, delegates should undertake a comprehensive review of contemporary international relations theory, particularly focusing on realism, liberalism, and constructivism, as they apply to economic and security policy. A strong understanding of the historical evolution of globalization and its impact on state sovereignty is also crucial. Delegates should be prepared to discuss case studies from various regions, illustrating the diverse ways nations are responding to global pressures.

Familiarity with concepts such as economic statecraft, defense industrial bases, and critical infrastructure protection will be beneficial. Delegates should also consider the implications of technological advancements on both economic competitiveness and military capabilities. Reviewing the Model Diplomat lessons on "Dynamic Analysis" and "The Power-Interest Grid" will provide valuable frameworks for analyzing the complex interactions between various state and non-state actors in this domain. Furthermore, understanding "Hidden Stakeholders" and "Engagement Strategies" can help in dissecting the multifaceted interests at play.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Canada

As the host nation, CAN is keenly interested in balancing its economic ties with major partners like USA and CHN while ensuring its national security and maintaining its distinct foreign policy. It seeks to understand how to leverage its resources and alliances to enhance both economic and military sovereignty.

Role in topic

CAN plays a significant role as a middle power with strong multilateral commitments, navigating complex trade relationships and defense partnerships. Its perspective will highlight the challenges and opportunities for nations that are deeply integrated into global systems but also seek to assert their independent interests.

United States

USA is focused on maintaining its global economic and military leadership, addressing challenges from rising powers, and securing critical supply chains. Its stance emphasizes strategic competition and the need for robust defense capabilities alongside economic resilience.

Role in topic

As a global superpower, USA's approach to economic and military sovereignty significantly influences international norms and practices. Its policies on trade, technology, and defense spending have far-reaching implications for other nations.

China

CHN prioritizes strengthening its economic self-reliance and modernizing its military to protect its national interests and expand its global influence. It seeks to reduce reliance on external technologies and markets while projecting power regionally and globally.

Role in topic

CHN's rapid economic growth and military modernization make it a central actor in discussions about sovereignty. Its 'dual circulation' strategy and Belt and Road Initiative are key examples of its efforts to enhance economic and strategic autonomy.

Russia

RUS emphasizes strengthening its military capabilities and diversifying its economic partnerships to counter perceived Western dominance and secure its geopolitical position. It seeks to assert its sovereignty through strategic resource control and defense modernization.

Role in topic

RUS's actions, particularly in areas of energy supply and military interventions, directly impact global security and economic stability. Its perspective will highlight the challenges of maintaining sovereignty in a contested international environment.

Germany

DEU aims to balance its strong export-oriented economy with increasing calls for greater defense spending and strategic autonomy within the European context. It seeks to diversify its economic dependencies and enhance its security posture.

Role in topic

As a major economic power in Europe, DEU's approach to economic and military sovereignty is crucial for regional stability and the future of European integration. Its debates over energy security and defense policy reflect broader European challenges.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil

For three decades after the Cold War, the dominant assumption in Western capitals was that deepening economic interdependence would dampen geopolitical rivalry. That consensus has eroded sharply since the mid-2010s. The U.S.–China trade war launched in 2018, the COVID-19 supply shock, Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the weaponization of the dollar, SWIFT access, semiconductors, and energy flows have all demonstrated that trade and finance are now instruments of statecraft. States across the political spectrum are reasserting control over strategic sectors through industrial policy, export controls, investment screening, and reshoring initiatives such as the U.S. CHIPS and Inflation Reduction Acts, the EU's Strategic Autonomy agenda, and China's dual circulation strategy. The core dispute concerns where the line falls between legitimate national-security protection and creeping protectionism that fragments the WTO-based trading order. Defence budgets are rising to levels unseen since the Cold War — NATO's 2% floor is being recast as a 3% or higher target, while Asia-Pacific powers expand naval and missile capabilities in response to tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea. Simultaneously, sanctions regimes, secondary sanctions, and outbound investment restrictions are reshaping global capital flows, with middle powers and emerging economies seeking to hedge through BRICS+ structures, local-currency settlement, and diversified supply chains. Today the policy debate revolves around "de-risking" versus "decoupling," the resilience of critical mineral and semiconductor supply chains, the militarization of dual-use technologies (AI, quantum, biotech), and the survival of multilateral trade adjudication after the WTO Appellate Body's paralysis. The question is whether a new equilibrium can be negotiated between open markets and strategic autonomy, or whether the world is sliding toward competing economic blocs aligned with security alliances.

Key players

Revisiting the 1948 Genocide Convention in the 21st Century

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1948, was the first human rights treaty of the UN era and codified Raphael Lemkin's term into binding international law. Article II defines genocide narrowly — acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group — a definition shaped by Cold War politics that excluded political and social groups. For decades the Convention lay largely dormant; the ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and the ICJ's 2007 Bosnia v. Serbia judgment, finally generated substantive jurisprudence on intent, complicity, and the duty to prevent. The 21st century has placed the Convention under unprecedented strain. ICJ cases concerning the Rohingya (The Gambia v. Myanmar, 2019), Ukraine v. Russia (2022), and South Africa v. Israel (2023) have made genocide litigation a central feature of contemporary diplomacy, while debates persist over Xinjiang, Darfur, Tigray, and Nagorno-Karabakh. Critics argue that the high evidentiary bar for specific intent (dolus specialis), the absence of political groups from the definition, and the politicization of the term have weakened both deterrence and accountability. Others warn that broadening the definition risks diluting it. Today delegates face questions about whether the Convention's duty to prevent has any operational meaning when the UNSC is paralyzed, how universal jurisdiction and the ICC should interact with ICJ proceedings, and whether emerging atrocities — including cultural destruction, forced demographic change, and starvation as a method of warfare — are adequately captured by the 1948 text.

Key players

BRICS and Global Leadership

BRICS originated in a 2001 Goldman Sachs research note grouping Brazil, Russia, India and China as the leading emerging economies; the bloc formalized itself with its first summit in 2009 and added South Africa in 2010. Initially a loose coordination forum, BRICS gradually built institutions: the New Development Bank (2014), the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, and regular ministerial tracks. Its agenda has centered on reforming the post-1945 governance order — IMF quota reform, UN Security Council expansion, and reducing dollar dependence — without directly confronting Western institutions. The 2023 Johannesburg summit marked a turning point with the invitation of new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE; Argentina later declined), transforming BRICS into BRICS+ and tilting its center of gravity toward energy producers and the Global South. Discussions of local-currency trade settlement, alternative payment rails, and a potential common unit of account have accelerated since Russia's exclusion from SWIFT and the freezing of its foreign reserves in 2022. Yet the bloc remains internally divided: China seeks a more explicitly counter-Western posture, India insists on strategic autonomy and balances its Quad commitments, Brazil and South Africa prioritize development finance, and the new Gulf members maintain deep ties to Washington. The question facing the international community is whether BRICS+ will mature into a coherent alternative pole of global leadership, a pragmatic caucus for Global South interests within existing institutions, or a fragmented forum constrained by member rivalries — particularly the Sino-Indian border dispute and divergent positions on Ukraine and Gaza.

Key players

Stochastic Terrorism

Stochastic terrorism describes a pattern in which public figures or media ecosystems repeatedly demonize an identifiable group or individual, statistically increasing the probability that an unaffiliated actor will commit violence against them, without any direct command-and-control link. The concept emerged in academic and journalistic discourse around 2011 and gained wider currency after a series of attacks — the 2011 Oslo and Utøya massacre, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting, and the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting — in which perpetrators cited online manifestos, conspiracy theories such as the "Great Replacement," and mainstream political rhetoric. The core dispute is legal and normative. Traditional counter-terrorism law requires intent, conspiracy, or material support — categories ill-suited to diffuse incitement amplified by algorithmic platforms. Free-expression frameworks, especially the U.S. First Amendment and ICCPR Article 19, protect even abhorrent speech absent an imminent-lawless-action threshold. Yet European jurisdictions, under the EU Digital Services Act and national hate-speech statutes, are moving toward platform accountability for content that foreseeably incites violence. States also disagree on whether the concept should extend to jihadist online ecosystems, state-aligned disinformation campaigns, and gendered or anti-LGBTQ+ harassment campaigns. Today the policy debate centers on platform liability, the role of recommender algorithms, transnational coordination against violent extremist content (the Christchurch Call), and whether "stochastic terrorism" should be recognized as a distinct legal category or remain an analytic lens informing existing incitement and hate-crime frameworks.

Key players

Climate Change Conflicts

The link between climate change and armed conflict has moved from academic hypothesis to operational concern for security institutions. The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (2021–2023) concluded with high confidence that climate change acts as a "threat multiplier," exacerbating drivers of conflict such as water scarcity, food insecurity, displacement, and resource competition, particularly in fragile states. The 2007 Darfur crisis, the 2011 Syrian drought preceding civil war, recurrent Sahel violence linked to pastoralist-farmer competition, and tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile are frequently cited cases, though scholars caution against monocausal explanations. The core dispute is both empirical and institutional. The UN Security Council has debated climate-security since 2007 but remains divided: Western and small-island states, along with most African members, support a dedicated mandate, while Russia (which vetoed a 2021 draft resolution co-sponsored by Ireland and Niger), China, and India argue that climate belongs in the UNFCCC and ECOSOC tracks, not the UNSC. Meanwhile, melting Arctic ice is opening new shipping lanes and resource frontiers, intensifying militarization among Arctic Council members, and disputes over transboundary rivers (Indus, Mekong, Tigris-Euphrates, Nile) are sharpening. Current debates focus on integrating climate risk into peacekeeping mandates and DDR programs, financing adaptation in conflict-affected states largely excluded from green finance, recognizing climate-displaced persons under international law, and managing the security dimensions of the energy transition — including competition over critical minerals and the destabilization of petrostates.

Key players

Energy Grid Attacks

Electricity grids have become a defining target of modern conflict, sitting at the intersection of military, cyber, and economic warfare. The 2015 and 2016 cyberattacks on Ukraine's power grid — attributed to Russian GRU-linked actors Sandworm — were the first publicly confirmed cases of malware causing blackouts and demonstrated the vulnerability of industrial control systems. Since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, kinetic strikes on Ukrainian generation, transmission, and substation assets have become a systematic campaign aimed at degrading civilian morale and economic capacity, raising serious questions under international humanitarian law on protection of objects indispensable to civilian survival. Grid attacks are not confined to active war zones. The 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident, repeated strikes on Saudi and Emirati energy infrastructure by Houthi forces, attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, and sabotage of substations by domestic extremists in the United States have all underscored the breadth of the threat. Aging infrastructure, the convergence of IT and operational technology, and the expansion of renewables and smart grids enlarge the attack surface, while geopolitical fragmentation complicates norms development in the UN OEWG on ICT. The core policy questions involve clarifying how IHL distinction and proportionality apply to dual-use grid components, building cross-border incident response (e.g., NATO's CCDCOE, ENISA), regulating commercial cybersecurity for utilities, and deterring both state and non-state attackers. Delegates must also weigh the inclusion of energy infrastructure in arms-control style declarations and the role of insurance and attribution in shaping accountability.

Key players

Drone Regulation

Unmanned aerial systems have transformed warfare, surveillance, and commerce over the past two decades. Beginning with U.S. armed Predator and Reaper operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia from the early 2000s, the technology has rapidly proliferated: Turkish Bayraktar TB2s shaped the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Iranian Shahed loitering munitions have been used at scale by Russia against Ukraine, and small commercial quadcopters modified with explosives have become defining tools of both state forces and non-state actors from ISIS to Ukrainian volunteer units. Drone swarms, AI-assisted targeting, and maritime and underwater variants further blur traditional weapons categories. The legal architecture has not kept pace. The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) covers larger systems but exempts much of the commercial drone market; the Wassenaar Arrangement addresses some dual-use components; and the CCW's GGE on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems wrestles with autonomy thresholds. Civil aviation governance under ICAO remains focused on safe integration into airspace rather than weaponization. Targeted-killing programs have generated sustained debate under IHL and human rights law about sovereignty, distinction, and accountability for civilian harm, while domestic regulation of recreational and commercial UAVs varies widely. Today's policy agenda spans export controls on military-grade drones and components, counter-UAS technologies for critical infrastructure protection, transparency for targeted-strike programs, restrictions on autonomous targeting, and the proliferation of cheap loitering munitions to non-state actors. The challenge is crafting regimes that distinguish among reconnaissance, strike, swarm, and civilian applications without stifling legitimate commercial use.

Key players

State-Sponsored Terrorism

State sponsorship of terrorism — the provision of funding, training, sanctuary, weapons, or intelligence to non-state armed groups conducting attacks against civilians or third states — has been a recurring feature of international relations since the Cold War. The U.S. State Department's State Sponsors of Terrorism list, created in 1979, currently designates Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria, though the criteria and political use of such designations are contested. Multilateral instruments — the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, UNSC Resolutions 1267, 1373 (post-9/11), and 1540, and the Financial Action Task Force — have built a financing-focused architecture, while ICJ jurisprudence from Nicaragua (1986) to Bosnia (2007) has shaped the law of state responsibility for non-state actors through the "effective control" and "overall control" tests. Contemporary cases are politically fraught. Iran's support for Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Iraqi militia networks; Russia's relationship with the Wagner Group and its successor entities operating in Africa and the Middle East; Pakistan's alleged historical ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Haqqani network; and Western support for opposition groups in various conflicts all illustrate how the line between proxy warfare, covert action, and state-sponsored terrorism is contested. The 2021 Taliban return to power in Afghanistan revived questions about safe havens, and the post-October 2023 Gaza war has sharpened debates over financing pipelines and designation regimes. The debate centers on objective criteria for designation, the interaction of unilateral sanctions with UN-mandated measures, due process for listed individuals and entities, accountability for private military companies operating as state proxies, and whether new categories — cyber-enabled proxies, disinformation networks, and transnational criminal-terrorist hybrids — require updated legal frameworks.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil – New Connections Between Trade, Investment, Security, and Defence (2nd edition).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

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Ken Martin's DNC Autopsy Reveals Party Strugg

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Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Dynamic Analysis

The Power-Interest Grid

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Crisis Management

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Canada September 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil – New Connections Between Trade, Investment, Security, and Defence (2nd edition)

Sep 30 – Oct 2, 2026Quebec City, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil · Revisiting the 1948 Genocide Convention in the 21st Century · BRICS and Global Leadership · Stochastic Terrorism · Climate Change Conflicts · Energy Grid Attacks · Drone Regulation · State-Sponsored Terrorism

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Role in topic

Role in topic

Role in topic

Role in topic

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Economic and Military Sovereignties in the Face of Globalization and Geopolitical Turmoil

Key players

Revisiting the 1948 Genocide Convention in the 21st Century

Key players

BRICS and Global Leadership

Key players

Stochastic Terrorism

Key players

Climate Change Conflicts

Key players

Energy Grid Attacks

Key players

Drone Regulation

Key players

State-Sponsored Terrorism

Key players

Resources

Recent reporting to ground your prep

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis

Ken Martin's DNC Autopsy Reveals Party Strugg

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Dynamic Analysis

The Power-Interest Grid

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Crisis Management

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Canada September 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

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CIC Toronto: Canada in a Fragmenting World – Navigating Geopolitics, Alliances, and Emerging Security Challenges

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Frequently asked questions