Where is the conference being held?

The conference is being held in Barcelona, Spain, offering a vibrant setting for academic exchange.

What is the format of the conference?

The conference is structured as an in-person event, providing opportunities for direct interaction and networking in Barcelona.

International Conference on Law, Political Science and International Relations - 2027

Name: International Conference on Law, Political Science and International Relations - 2027
Start: 2027-06-01T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-06-02T00:00:00Z
Location: Dublin

Jun 1–2, 2027Dublin, IrelandIn-person

Registration open

The International Conference on Law, Political Science and International Relations serves as a forum for academics, researchers, and practitioners to present and discuss innovations, trends, and challenges in these interconnected fields. Held in Barcelona, Spain, the event aims to foster intellectual exchange and collaboration on contemporary issues shaping global governance, legal frameworks, and political dynamics. Participants will engage with cutting-edge research and explore interdisciplinary approaches to complex global problems.

Committees & topics

Topics
The Evolution and Fragmentation of International Law · Democratic Backsliding and the Contest Over Political Systems · Great-Power Competition and the Transition to a Multipolar Order

Why it matters

This conference is significant because it brings together diverse perspectives on law, political science, and international relations, which are crucial for understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges of the modern world. The interdisciplinary nature of the discussions allows for a holistic examination of global issues, moving beyond siloed academic approaches. By convening experts in Barcelona, Spain, the conference facilitates a rich dialogue that can inform policy-making and academic discourse.

The insights generated from such gatherings are vital for developing robust legal frameworks that can adapt to evolving political landscapes and for fostering international relations built on mutual understanding and cooperation. The exchange of ideas on topics ranging from international law to political theory contributes to a more nuanced comprehension of global power structures and the mechanisms of governance. This intellectual cross-pollination is essential for identifying innovative solutions to pressing global concerns.

How to prepare

To maximize engagement at the conference, participants should consider how their research intersects with the broader themes of law, political science, and international relations. Preparing presentations that highlight the interconnections between these disciplines will resonate strongly with the audience. For instance, a legal scholar might explore the political implications of a new international treaty, or a political scientist could analyze the legal frameworks underpinning global governance.

Attendees should also be prepared to engage in discussions that transcend traditional academic boundaries. Reviewing foundational concepts in international relations, such as those related to Political Realism or Anarchy in International Relations, can provide a solid basis for understanding diverse viewpoints. Furthermore, considering how different national contexts, such as those of ESP, influence legal and political discourse, will enrich interactions. Familiarity with Dynamic Analysis can also be beneficial for understanding the evolving nature of international relations.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Spain

As the host nation, Spain plays a crucial role in facilitating international dialogue on law, political science, and international relations.

Role in topic

Spain's historical and contemporary engagement in international law and European political integration provides a relevant backdrop for discussions. Its perspective on multilateralism and regional governance will be particularly insightful for participants.

Topics & background

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

The Evolution and Fragmentation of International Law

International law as a structured discipline emerged from the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which entrenched the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference. It expanded dramatically after the two World Wars: the League of Nations and then the United Nations Charter (1945) codified prohibitions on the use of force, while the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals established the principle that individuals — not only states — bear criminal responsibility under international law. The post-war decades produced foundational instruments including the Genocide Convention (1948), the Geneva Conventions (1949), the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), and UNCLOS (1982), alongside the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the twin Covenants of 1966. The post–Cold War period saw an accelerated 'judicialization' of world affairs, with the creation of the ICTY, ICTR, and ultimately the International Criminal Court under the Rome Statute (1998, in force 2002). Yet this expansion has been uneven and contested. Major powers have refused to ratify core instruments (the U.S. on the Rome Statute and UNCLOS; China and Russia on various human rights mechanisms), while regional courts in Europe, the Americas, and Africa have developed parallel jurisprudence. Concepts such as the Responsibility to Protect (2005), universal jurisdiction, and the criminalization of aggression have stretched traditional sovereignty doctrines. Today international law faces a crisis of enforcement and legitimacy. ICC arrest warrants against sitting leaders (including Vladimir Putin in 2023 and Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024) have exposed deep divisions over selectivity and great-power exceptionalism. ICJ proceedings on Ukraine, Gaza, and climate obligations test the limits of advisory and contentious jurisdiction. Meanwhile, new domains — cyber operations, autonomous weapons, outer space, AI governance, and transnational corporate accountability — outpace existing treaty frameworks, forcing debate over whether customary international law and soft-law instruments can keep up with rapid technological and geopolitical change.

Key players

Democratic Backsliding and the Contest Over Political Systems

The study and practice of political science in the contemporary era is dominated by a central empirical puzzle: after a 'third wave' of democratization that began with Portugal in 1974 and crested with the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1989–91, the global trajectory has reversed. Freedom House, V-Dem, and the Economist Intelligence Unit have each documented nearly two decades of consecutive decline in democratic quality, with V-Dem reporting in the mid-2020s that a majority of the world's population now lives under autocratizing regimes. The phenomenon, often termed 'democratic backsliding' or 'autocratization,' typically proceeds incrementally — through legal capture of courts, media, and electoral commissions — rather than via classical coups. This trend coincides with a renewed ideological competition between liberal-democratic and authoritarian-capitalist models. China's rise has lent credibility to a developmental-authoritarian alternative, while Russia, Iran, and other states actively promote sovereigntist and illiberal frameworks. Within established democracies, populist movements on both right and left have challenged liberal constitutional norms, polarized electorates, and weaponized disinformation. Cases from Hungary, Turkey, India, Venezuela, Tunisia, and the United States have become canonical references in the comparative-politics literature on how democracies erode. The contemporary debate centers on diagnosis and response: whether backsliding reflects economic insecurity and inequality, cultural backlash, the structural effects of social media, the weakening of party systems, or the deliberate strategies of would-be autocrats. Scholars and policymakers also grapple with whether external democracy promotion remains viable in a multipolar order, how to regulate digital platforms without enabling censorship, and whether AI-driven information environments will accelerate or potentially restrain authoritarian consolidation.

Key players

Great-Power Competition and the Transition to a Multipolar Order

The contemporary international system is undergoing its most significant structural reordering since the end of the Cold War. The 'unipolar moment' that followed 1991 — characterized by U.S. primacy, NATO expansion, and the global spread of market liberalism — has given way to renewed great-power competition. China's economic rise since its 2001 WTO accession, coupled with its assertive turn under Xi Jinping after 2012, has produced the defining bilateral rivalry of the century. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 shattered the European security architecture built around the Helsinki Final Act and the NATO–Russia Founding Act. These shifts have catalyzed a denser web of alignments and counter-alignments. NATO has enlarged to include Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024); the Indo-Pacific has seen the consolidation of the Quad, AUKUS, and trilateral U.S.–Japan–Korea cooperation; while BRICS expanded in 2024 to include new members from the Middle East and Africa, signaling a more articulated 'Global South' agenda. Economic statecraft — sanctions, export controls on advanced semiconductors, industrial policy, and resource nationalism around critical minerals — has become inseparable from security policy. Key flashpoints structure today's agenda: the Russia–Ukraine war and its implications for European security; tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea; the Gaza war and the broader instability across the Middle East including Iran's nuclear program; and persistent crises in the Sahel, Sudan, and the Korean Peninsula. Cross-cutting these are transnational challenges — climate change, AI governance, pandemic preparedness, and migration — which require cooperation precisely when the institutional capacity for it is being eroded by rivalry. International relations scholarship is accordingly revisiting classical debates about polarity, hegemonic transition, and whether existing multilateral institutions can be reformed or will be displaced by parallel orders.

Key players