What is the primary focus of this conference?

The conference focuses on political strategy and international relations, providing a platform for discussing contemporary challenges and opportunities in global politics.

What kind of format does the conference follow?

The conference is presented in an in-person format, facilitating direct engagement and networking among participants in Hai Phong.

International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations

Name: International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations
Start: 2026-07-11T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-07-11T00:00:00Z
Location: Hai Phong

Jul 11, 2026Hai Phong, VietnamIn-person

Registration open

The International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations, held in Hai Phong, VNM, serves as a critical forum for examining the evolving landscape of global politics. This event brings together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss contemporary challenges and opportunities in international relations, focusing on the strategic dimensions that shape state and non-state actor interactions.

Committees & topics

Topics
Political Strategy in International Relations · The Role of Diplomacy in Political Strategy · Geopolitical Shifts and Strategic Responses · National Security and Political Strategy · Political Strategy in Contemporary Governance · International Relations and Global Diplomacy · Security Policy in a Changing World · Leadership and Power Dynamics in Politics

Why it matters

In an era characterized by complex geopolitical shifts and interconnected global challenges, understanding political strategy and international relations is paramount. This conference offers a platform for in-depth analysis of the forces driving international affairs, from the rise of new powers to the persistence of traditional security dilemmas. The discussions aim to dissect the strategic choices made by nations and international organizations, providing insights into their implications for global stability and cooperation.

The insights generated at this conference are particularly relevant for those seeking to navigate the intricacies of modern diplomacy and international policy-making. By fostering dialogue on critical topics, the event contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how political strategies are formulated and executed on the world stage. This knowledge is essential for anticipating future trends and developing effective responses to emerging crises, thereby enhancing the capacity for informed decision-making in a rapidly changing world.

How to prepare

To fully engage with the discussions at the International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations, attendees should prepare by reviewing foundational concepts in international relations theory and strategic studies. Familiarity with various analytical frameworks will enable participants to critically assess the presented research and contribute meaningfully to the discourse. Considering the conference's focus on political strategy, understanding the interplay between domestic politics and foreign policy will be particularly beneficial.

Prospective attendees should also consider the geopolitical context of the host city, Hai Phong, VNM, and the broader region. This geographical setting provides a unique lens through which to view discussions on international relations, particularly concerning regional security, economic integration, and diplomatic engagements. Engaging with the 'Power-Interest Grid' and 'Engagement Strategies' lessons can provide a robust framework for understanding stakeholder dynamics and strategic interactions. Additionally, exploring 'Dynamic Analysis' can help in comprehending the fluid nature of international political landscapes.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Vietnam

As the host nation, VNM is a key player in regional geopolitics, balancing relations with major powers while asserting its sovereignty and promoting regional stability.

Role in topic

VNM's strategic location and its historical experiences provide a valuable perspective on international relations, particularly regarding maritime security, economic development, and multilateral diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Its engagement with various global actors offers a practical case study for political strategy.

United States

The USA maintains a significant global presence, influencing international relations through its economic, military, and diplomatic power, often shaping strategic discussions.

Role in topic

The USA's foreign policy and strategic decisions, including its alliances and engagements in various regions, are central to understanding global political strategy. Its role in international institutions and its approach to emerging challenges will be a recurring theme.

China

CHN's growing economic and military power positions it as a central actor in shaping the future of international relations and global political strategy.

Role in topic

CHN's Belt and Road Initiative, its expanding influence in international organizations, and its approach to regional disputes offer critical insights into contemporary political strategy. Its interactions with other major powers are a focal point of global strategic analysis.

Russia

RUS continues to assert its influence on the global stage, often through a strategic foreign policy that challenges existing international norms and power structures.

Role in topic

RUS's strategic actions in various geopolitical hotspots and its relationships with key international partners are crucial for understanding the complexities of modern international relations. Its approaches to security and energy policy are particularly relevant.

Topics & background

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

Political Strategy in International Relations

Political strategy in international relations refers to the deliberate calculation by states of how to advance interests, project influence, and manage rivals within an anarchic international system. Its modern intellectual roots stretch from Thucydides and Machiavelli through the realist tradition of Morgenthau and Waltz, sharpened during the Cold War by doctrines of containment, deterrence, and balance of power. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 briefly suggested a unipolar moment in which liberal institutions and U.S. primacy would structure global politics, but the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2008 financial crisis, and the rise of China have reopened classical questions about how states pursue power. Today, political strategy is contested across multiple theaters: great-power competition between Washington and Beijing, Russia's revisionist war in Ukraine, the strategic hedging of middle powers such as India, Turkey, and Brazil, and the rise of minilateral groupings like the Quad, AUKUS, and BRICS+. Strategy is also increasingly fought through non-military instruments — sanctions, export controls on semiconductors, industrial policy, and information operations — blurring the line between economic and security policy. The central debate is whether the rules-based order built after 1945 can be adapted, contested, or replaced.

Key players

The Role of Diplomacy in Political Strategy

Diplomacy — the practice of managing relations between sovereigns through negotiation, representation, and signaling — has been formalized since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and codified in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Throughout the 20th century, diplomacy expanded from bilateral chanceries to multilateral forums including the League of Nations and the United Nations, and broadened in scope to encompass arms control (SALT, START, JCPOA), trade (GATT/WTO), and climate (UNFCCC, Paris Agreement). Diplomacy has been both an instrument of strategy and, at times, a brake upon it, providing channels for de-escalation during crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Iran nuclear talks. Contemporary diplomacy faces structural pressure. Summit diplomacy and back-channel mediation by states like Qatar, Norway, and Oman remain important — visible in Gaza ceasefire talks and the 2023 Saudi-Iran normalization brokered by China — but trust in multilateral institutions has eroded amid UNSC paralysis over Ukraine and Gaza. Digital diplomacy, public diplomacy, and economic statecraft now sit alongside traditional negotiation, while the expulsion of diplomats and weaponization of visas have become routine signaling tools. The core question is whether diplomacy can still moderate strategic competition or has been reduced to a tactical adjunct of coercion.

Key players

Geopolitical Shifts and Strategic Responses

The post-Cold War order is undergoing its most significant structural shift since 1991. Three trends define the moment: the consolidation of U.S.-China strategic competition following the 2017 U.S. National Security Strategy reframing China as a 'strategic competitor'; Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which shattered the European security architecture built around the Helsinki Final Act; and the assertive multi-alignment of Global South powers, visible in the expansion of BRICS in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE. Supply-chain shocks from COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have accelerated economic fragmentation, with the IMF warning of geoeconomic bloc formation. States are responding with a mix of hard balancing and hedging. NATO has admitted Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024) and refocused on collective defense, while AUKUS and the Quad address the Indo-Pacific. The EU has pursued de-risking from China and a Critical Raw Materials Act, and the U.S. has imposed sweeping semiconductor export controls. Middle powers — Saudi Arabia, India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa — are leveraging the competition to extract concessions rather than choosing sides. The strategic question is whether the world is moving toward a stable bipolarity, a multipolar concert, or fragmented disorder.

Key players

National Security and Political Strategy

The concept of national security expanded dramatically after the Second World War, embodied in instruments like the U.S. National Security Act of 1947 and replicated in national security councils worldwide. During the Cold War, security was largely defined in military and nuclear terms, structured by mutually assured destruction and alliance commitments under NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The post-9/11 era widened the agenda to counterterrorism, homeland security, and intelligence cooperation, while the 2010s added cyber operations, hybrid warfare, and election interference — exemplified by the 2007 cyberattacks on Estonia, the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the 2016 U.S. election interference. National security strategy today is increasingly comprehensive, integrating defense, economics, technology, climate, and supply chains. The 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy, Japan's 2022 revision permitting counterstrike capabilities, Germany's first National Security Strategy in 2023, and the EU's Strategic Compass all reflect this shift. Defense budgets have risen sharply — NATO members increasingly meeting the 2% GDP target, and Poland exceeding 4%. Core debates concern the trade-off between openness and resilience, the scope of executive emergency powers, and how democracies sustain long-term strategy across electoral cycles.

Key players

Political Strategy in Contemporary Governance

Contemporary governance has been reshaped by the simultaneous pressures of democratic backsliding, populist mobilization, and the digitization of political life. Freedom House and V-Dem have documented nearly two decades of net democratic decline, with hybrid regimes consolidating in Hungary, Turkey, and elsewhere, and military takeovers reversing transitions in Mali, Niger, and Myanmar. At the same time, established democracies face polarization, declining institutional trust, and contested elections — visible in the United States in 2020, Brazil in 2022, and across multiple European votes in 2024. Political strategy within governance now combines traditional coalition-building with data analytics, micro-targeted messaging, and platform regulation. The EU's Digital Services Act (2022) and AI Act (2024) attempt to govern the informational environment, while states from India to the United States debate the role of executive power, judicial review, and emergency authorities. Governance strategy is increasingly transnational: authoritarian learning, democratic assistance, and election observation all operate across borders. The central question is how political systems balance responsiveness, effectiveness, and the rule of law under sustained stress.

Key players

International Relations and Global Diplomacy

The architecture of global diplomacy was built around the UN Charter (1945), the Bretton Woods institutions, and a dense network of treaties, conventions, and regional organizations. For decades this system enabled decolonization, expanded international law, and managed crises through forums ranging from the UN Security Council to the G7, G20, and regional bodies like the AU, ASEAN, and OAS. Yet the system was always uneven, privileging the P5 and reflecting a Western-dominated post-war settlement that today's emerging powers seek to revise. Global diplomacy is now operating under significant strain. UNSC paralysis on Ukraine and Gaza, WTO Appellate Body dysfunction since 2019, and contested reform of the IMF and World Bank have driven states toward alternative venues — BRICS+, the SCO, the AIIB, and ad hoc coalitions. Climate diplomacy through the UNFCCC COP process, pandemic negotiations at the WHO, and AI governance discussions illustrate both the necessity and the limits of multilateralism. The defining issue is whether global diplomacy can be reformed — through expanded UNSC membership, weighted voting reform, or new institutions — or whether it will fragment into competing orders.

Key players

Security Policy in a Changing World

Security policy has expanded far beyond the territorial-military focus of the 20th century. Cold War deterrence was governed by treaties such as the NPT (1968), ABM (1972), INF (1987), and New START (2010), most of which have now collapsed or are under threat — the INF Treaty was terminated in 2019, and New START is due to expire in 2026. The post-9/11 counterterrorism era reshaped intelligence-sharing and special operations doctrine, while the 2010s introduced cyber, space, and hybrid threats as central concerns, formalized in NATO's recognition of cyberspace (2016) and space (2019) as operational domains. Today, security policy is being rewritten under the pressure of great-power war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, and the militarization of emerging technologies including AI, autonomous systems, and quantum. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports global military expenditure at record highs. Discussions at the UN GGE and OEWG on cyber norms, the CCW process on lethal autonomous weapons, and stalled PAROS negotiations on outer space illustrate the gap between technological change and arms control. The question is whether new frameworks can be built before the existing ones fully erode.

Key players

Leadership and Power Dynamics in Politics

The study of leadership and power has long animated political theory, from Weber's typology of charismatic, traditional, and legal-rational authority to contemporary work on personalist regimes and democratic leadership. The 20th century featured concentrated leadership figures — Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle, Mao, Nehru — whose decisions shaped the international order. The end of the Cold War briefly elevated technocratic and consensus-driven leadership, but the 2010s saw a resurgence of strongman politics, with leaders such as Putin, Xi, Erdoğan, Modi, Orbán, and successive U.S. administrations reshaping how executive power is exercised at home and projected abroad. Power dynamics today operate across multiple registers: the personalization of foreign policy through summit diplomacy, the consolidation of executive authority within states, and the contested role of legislatures, courts, and civil society. Leadership transitions — Xi's third term in 2023, succession questions in the Gulf, electoral cycles in the U.S., India, and the EU — carry global consequences for alliances, trade, and conflict. Debates focus on the durability of personalist rule, the institutional checks that constrain or enable leaders, and how leadership style affects crisis management in an era of compressed decision-making timelines.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis 2026

Rahul Gandhi Defends Tamil Nadu's Autonomy

India's 131st Amendment Bill

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

The Power-Interest Grid

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Media & Press Relations

Crisis Management

Vietnam July 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations

Jul 11, 2026Hai Phong, VietnamIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Political Strategy in International Relations · The Role of Diplomacy in Political Strategy · Geopolitical Shifts and Strategic Responses · National Security and Political Strategy · Political Strategy in Contemporary Governance · International Relations and Global Diplomacy · Security Policy in a Changing World · Leadership and Power Dynamics in Politics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Vietnam

As the host nation, VNM is a key player in regional geopolitics, balancing relations with major powers while asserting its sovereignty and promoting regional stability.

Role in topic

United States

The USA maintains a significant global presence, influencing international relations through its economic, military, and diplomatic power, often shaping strategic discussions.

Role in topic

China

CHN's growing economic and military power positions it as a central actor in shaping the future of international relations and global political strategy.

Role in topic

Russia

RUS continues to assert its influence on the global stage, often through a strategic foreign policy that challenges existing international norms and power structures.

Role in topic

Topics & background

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

Political Strategy in International Relations

Key players

The Role of Diplomacy in Political Strategy

Key players

Geopolitical Shifts and Strategic Responses

Key players

National Security and Political Strategy

Key players

Political Strategy in Contemporary Governance

Key players

International Relations and Global Diplomacy

Key players

Security Policy in a Changing World

Key players

Leadership and Power Dynamics in Politics

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Political Strategy and International Relations.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis 2026

Rahul Gandhi Defends Tamil Nadu's Autonomy

India's 131st Amendment Bill

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

The Power-Interest Grid

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Media & Press Relations

Crisis Management

Vietnam July 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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