--- title: "Irish and EU Security in an Age of Global Conflict 2026" description: "Irish and EU Security in an Age of Global Conflict is a professional conference in Dublin, Ireland, Apr 22, 2026. Dates, deadlines, fees, and prep links." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/conferences/professional/irish-and-eu-security-in-an-age-of-global-conflict-2026" --- # Irish and EU Security in an Age of Global Conflict Apr 22, 2026[Dublin, Ireland](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1\&query=Dublin%2C%20Ireland)In-person [Registration open](https://www.tcd.ie/digital-security-resilience/events/irish-and-eu-security-in-an-age-of-global-conflict/) This conference, held in Dublin, IRL, will explore the multifaceted challenges to Irish and European Union security in an era marked by significant global upheaval. It aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the evolving security landscape, considering both traditional and emerging threats. The discussions will likely delve into how geopolitical shifts, technological advancements, and internal dynamics within the EU impact security strategies and national policies. ## Committees & topics - International Press International Press Corps - United Nations Human Rights Council United Nations Human Rights Council - United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council - World Economic Forum World Economic Forum - Council of Europe Council of Europe - United Nations General Assembly - First Committee Disarmament & International Security (GA First Committee / DISEC) ## Why it matters The current international environment is characterized by a complex interplay of state and non-state actors, economic pressures, and rapid technological change. For IRL and the broader European Union, understanding these dynamics is crucial for maintaining stability and prosperity. This event offers a platform to analyze how these global conflicts, from conventional warfare to cyber warfare and disinformation campaigns, necessitate adaptive security frameworks. Furthermore, the conference's focus on both Irish and EU security highlights the interconnectedness of national and regional defense. Decisions made at the EU level have direct implications for member states, while national policies contribute to the collective security posture. Examining these linkages is vital for developing cohesive and effective responses to shared threats, ensuring that both individual nations and the bloc as a whole can navigate an increasingly volatile world. ## How to prepare To effectively engage with the themes of this conference, participants should undertake a thorough "Dynamic Analysis" of current geopolitical trends affecting Europe. This involves not only understanding the immediate causes and effects of ongoing conflicts but also anticipating future developments and their potential impact on security. A key aspect of preparation will be to consider the "[Hidden Stakeholders](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/hidden-stakeholders)" in global conflicts, recognizing that various actors, often overlooked, can significantly influence outcomes and security dynamics. Participants should also prepare to discuss the implications of these global conflicts on specific sectors, such as energy security, supply chain resilience, and digital infrastructure. Understanding the vulnerabilities and interdependencies within these areas will be crucial for contributing meaningfully to conversations about robust security strategies. Finally, considering different "Engagement Strategies" for international cooperation and conflict resolution will be beneficial, as the conference will likely explore collaborative approaches to security challenges. ## Country perspectives Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile. [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [As a historically neutral state, IRL faces the challenge of balancing its non-alignment policy with its commitments to EU collective security in a changing geopolitical climate.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [IRL's unique position within the EU, coupled with its historical neutrality, makes its perspective on security particularly relevant. The country must navigate its national defense needs while contributing to broader EU security initiatives, especially concerning cyber threats and hybrid warfare.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Germany](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [DEU is re-evaluating its defense posture and increasing its military spending in response to regional conflicts, contributing significantly to EU security discussions.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [As a major economic and political power within the EU, DEU's evolving security policy, including its increased defense spending and commitment to European defense initiatives, is central to the bloc's overall security strategy. Its perspective on energy security and economic resilience is also critical.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [France](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [FRA advocates for stronger European strategic autonomy and plays a leading role in shaping EU defense policy and military capabilities.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [FRA is a key proponent of a more robust and autonomous European defense. Its military capabilities and diplomatic efforts are instrumental in shaping the EU's response to global conflicts and its long-term security architecture.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [Ukraine](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [UKR is at the forefront of a major conflict, highlighting the urgency of European security and the need for international support.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [The ongoing conflict involving UKR serves as a stark reminder of the immediate and severe threats to European security. Its experience underscores the importance of collective defense, humanitarian aid, and the strategic implications of geopolitical aggression for the entire continent.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [The USA remains a critical security partner for many European nations, though its role and commitment are subject to ongoing geopolitical shifts.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [The USA's relationship with Europe, particularly through NATO, is a foundational element of transatlantic security. Its involvement in global conflicts and its foreign policy decisions have significant implications for EU security strategies and defense cooperation.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) ## Topics & background The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it. 1 ### International Press Corps The International Press Corps (IPC) simulates the role of global media in covering diplomatic crises, drawing on the traditions of outlets such as Reuters, Al Jazeera, the BBC, RTÉ, and TASS. Since the Cold War, international journalism has been both a check on state power and a contested space — from the Vietnam-era credibility gap to the embedded reporting of the Iraq War, and now to the information warfare that has characterized coverage of Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. Journalists today operate under conditions of intensifying state pressure, with record numbers of reporters killed in Gaza since October 2023 and ongoing detentions of foreign correspondents in Russia, China, and Iran. The core dispute facing the modern press is the collision between traditional norms of verification and impartiality and a fractured information ecosystem dominated by social media, generative AI, and state-aligned disinformation campaigns. The EU's Digital Services Act, the proposed European Media Freedom Act, and ongoing debates within UNESCO over journalist safety frame the regulatory backdrop. For an Irish and EU security conference, the IPC sits at the intersection of hybrid threats — where Russian information operations, Chinese influence networks, and platform governance shape public consent for defence policy. Delegates in the IPC will be expected to file dispatches, op-eds, and breaking news that reflect the editorial line of their assigned outlet while adhering to professional standards. The committee tests whether a free press can still produce a shared factual baseline in an age when narratives themselves have become instruments of statecraft. Key players - [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Host state with a strong public service broadcasting tradition (RTÉ) and EU media-freedom advocate.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) - [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [Home to global outlets (BBC, Reuters, FT) and a major node of English-language journalism.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Dominant platform jurisdiction and base for AP, NYT, and major social media companies shaping the information space.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [Qatar](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/qatar) [Hosts Al Jazeera, a central voice in Middle East and Global South coverage.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/qatar) - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Operator of state outlets (RT, TASS) and a leading source of information-warfare campaigns targeting Europe.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Expanding state media footprint (Xinhua, CGTN) and a key restrictor of foreign press access.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) 2 ### United Nations Human Rights Council The Human Rights Council was established by General Assembly Resolution 60/251 in 2006, replacing the discredited Commission on Human Rights. Based in Geneva and composed of 47 elected members, it conducts the Universal Periodic Review of every UN member state and appoints Special Rapporteurs to investigate thematic and country-specific situations. Its founding compromise — universal membership eligibility versus credible standards — remains contested, with successive controversies over the seats held by states such as Saudi Arabia, China, and Russia (the latter suspended in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine). The Council's 2026 agenda is shaped by two structural pressures relevant to European security. The first is the human-rights dimension of emerging technology: following the 2024 OHCHR report on generative AI, member states are debating algorithmic accountability, content moderation under ICCPR Article 19, and whether to create a Special Rapporteur on AI. The second is climate displacement, where GA Resolution 76/300 recognized the right to a healthy environment but left operational questions — refugee status, cross-border protection, loss and damage — unresolved. Both intersect with ongoing country files on Ukraine, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Myanmar, and Iran. For Ireland and the EU, the UNHRC is a primary venue for projecting normative power, but European states increasingly face accusations of double standards over Gaza and migration policy. The Council's credibility depends on whether it can apply consistent standards to allies and adversaries alike at a moment when the post-1945 human-rights consensus is under sustained challenge. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Returned to the Council in 2022; pushes country-specific scrutiny but vulnerable on Gaza voting record.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Leads a bloc opposing country mandates and reframing rights around 'development' and sovereignty.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Germany](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [Coordinates EU positions on Ukraine, Iran, and business-and-human-rights files.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) - [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Active member on civil society space, gender, and climate-rights resolutions.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) - [South Africa](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-africa) [Influential Global South voice, prominent on Palestine (ICJ case) and racial justice.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-africa) - [Saudi Arabia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/saudi-arabia) [Leads OIC bloc positions; frequent target of scrutiny over domestic record.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/saudi-arabia) 3 ### United Nations Security Council Established under Chapter V of the UN Charter in 1945, the Security Council holds primary responsibility for international peace and security. Its five permanent members — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China — wield the veto, a structure designed to keep the great powers inside the system but which has repeatedly paralysed action on Syria, Ukraine, and Gaza. Ten elected members rotate on two-year terms, and the Council can authorize sanctions, peacekeeping, and the use of force under Chapter VII. The 2026 docket is unusually crowded. Sudan's civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, ongoing since April 2023, has produced the world's largest displacement crisis and renewed debate over the 1591 sanctions regime and ICC referrals. Russia's war in Ukraine continues to expose the veto's structural limits, prompting renewed use of the Uniting for Peace procedure in the General Assembly. Gaza, Yemen, the Sahel, and the Korean Peninsula remain live files. Cutting across all of these is the OEWG process on responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and the protection of critical infrastructure — a question of acute relevance to Ireland, whose subsea cables and data-centre infrastructure are central to European connectivity. For Irish and EU delegates, the UNSC frames the hard-security environment in which European defence integration, PESCO, and the Strategic Compass operate. Reform of the Council — expansion, veto restraint, and the France-Mexico initiative on mass atrocities — sits permanently in the background of every substantive debate. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [P5 member; principal backer of Ukraine and Israel, navigating credibility costs on Gaza vetoes.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [P5 member at war in Ukraine; uses veto to shield itself and allies including Syria.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [P5 member advancing a sovereigntist reading of the Charter and mediating in the Gulf and Africa.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [France](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [P5 member and lead EU voice; champions veto restraint on mass atrocities.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) - [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [P5 member coordinating closely with the US and EU on Ukraine, Sudan, and sanctions.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) - [Sudan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/sudan) [Subject state whose war drives the Council's largest humanitarian file.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/sudan) 4 ### World Economic Forum Founded by Klaus Schwab in 1971 as the European Management Forum and rebranded as the World Economic Forum in 1987, the WEF is a Geneva-based public-private platform best known for its annual Davos meeting. Though not an intergovernmental body, the Forum has become a central venue for coordinating between heads of state, central bankers, multinational executives, and civil society on globalisation, technology, and systemic risk. Its Global Risks Report and Chief Risk Officers community have shaped how governments frame interconnected threats. The Forum's 2026 agenda is dominated by the unwinding of the post-Cold War economic order. Industrial policy has returned across the US (CHIPS Act, IRA), the EU (Green Deal Industrial Plan, Critical Raw Materials Act), and China (Made in China 2025), while supply-chain weaponisation — semiconductors, rare earths, energy — has become a core security question. AI governance, climate finance after COP28's loss-and-damage operationalisation, and the future of the WTO dispute-settlement system are recurring themes. For Ireland, whose economic model rests on FDI, trade openness, and the single market, the WEF agenda overlaps directly with national security: data flows, corporate tax (OECD Pillar Two), and pharmaceutical supply chains all sit at the conference's intersection of economics and security. The Forum is also under sustained critique — over governance, transparency, and the influence of unelected actors on public policy. Delegates simulating the WEF should treat it as a space where corporate, state, and multilateral interests bargain in the open about the rules of the next economic decade. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Largest source of multinational corporate presence and architect of industrial-policy turn.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Major participant balancing engagement with decoupling pressures from the West.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Germany](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [Industrial core of the EU, exposed to energy and China-decoupling shocks.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) - [Switzerland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) [Host state; central to global finance, neutrality, and humanitarian diplomacy.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) - [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Highly globalised small economy whose FDI model is reshaped by tax and tech-policy shifts.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) - [Saudi Arabia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/saudi-arabia) [Lead Gulf investor channelling sovereign-wealth capital into AI, energy transition, and sport.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/saudi-arabia) 5 ### Council of Europe The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 by the Treaty of London as the continent's first post-war political organisation, separate from and predating the EU. Headquartered in Strasbourg, it now has 46 member states and is best known for the European Convention on Human Rights (1950) and its enforcement arm, the European Court of Human Rights. Other key bodies include the Venice Commission on constitutional law, GRECO on anti-corruption, and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture. Russia was expelled in March 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine — the first such expulsion in the organisation's history. The Council's contemporary agenda centres on three pressures. First is accountability for the war in Ukraine: the 2023 Reykjavík Summit established the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation, the precursor to a future compensation mechanism, and discussions continue on a special tribunal for the crime of aggression. Second is the rule-of-law backsliding within member states — Hungary, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and others face sustained Venice Commission and Court scrutiny. Third is the regulation of emerging technologies: the Council's 2024 Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence is the first binding international AI treaty, with implications well beyond Europe. For Ireland — a founding member and consistent ECHR compliant — the Council is a core venue for projecting normative influence without the constraints of EU consensus. For the wider EU security debate, it is the institutional anchor of the European legal order at a moment when that order is being contested both externally by Russia and internally by illiberal governments. Key players - [France](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [Host of the Strasbourg seat and lead actor on the ECHR and AI Convention.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) - [Germany](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [Largest funder; drives accountability work on Ukraine and rule-of-law mechanisms.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) - [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [Founding member; domestic ECHR politics test the Convention's universality.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) - [Ukraine](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [Front-line member state; central to the Register of Damage and tribunal debates.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) - [Turkey](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) [Largest member by population; frequent ECHR respondent on rule-of-law cases.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) - [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Founding member and consistent compliance leader, active on AI and civil society protection.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) 6 United Nations General Assembly - First Committee ### Disarmament & International Security (GA First Committee / DISEC) The First Committee of the UN General Assembly, also known as DISEC, was established in 1945 and is the principal universal forum for disarmament and international security. Unlike the Security Council, it operates on one-state-one-vote and produces resolutions that, while non-binding, set the normative agenda for follow-on negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament, the NPT Review Conferences, and Group of Governmental Experts processes. Its historical achievements include groundwork for the NPT (1968), the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993), and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2017). The 2026 agenda is dominated by the erosion of Cold War arms-control architecture and the emergence of new domains. New START expires in February 2026 with no successor in sight; the INF Treaty is dead; and Russia has de-ratified the CTBT. Against this backdrop, three files are central. First, lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS): following the 2023 Group of Governmental Experts under the CCW, a majority of states now back a legally binding instrument requiring meaningful human control, opposed by a smaller group including the US and Russia. Second, outer space: repeated ASAT tests by Russia, China, the US, and India, combined with stalled PAROS negotiations, have raised pressure for new norms. Third, cybersecurity, where the Open-Ended Working Group on ICTs is negotiating norms of responsible state behaviour. For Ireland — a long-standing leader on nuclear disarmament going back to the Irish Resolution of 1958 that seeded the NPT — and for an EU navigating its first sustained land war in eighty years, DISEC is where the rules of future conflict are being written or unwritten. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Leading nuclear power; resists LAWS ban and shapes export controls on dual-use AI.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Major nuclear power; de-ratified CTBT and conducted destructive ASAT test in 2021.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Expanding nuclear arsenal and dual-use space capabilities; key to any future trilateral arms control.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Historic disarmament leader; co-sponsor of LAWS and humanitarian-disarmament initiatives.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) - [India](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/india) [Nuclear power outside NPT; active in space and cyber norm-setting.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/india) - [Brazil](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/brazil) [Leading non-aligned voice; champion of nuclear-weapon-free zones and TPNW.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/brazil) ## Resources News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Irish and EU Security in an Age of Global Conflict. Recent reporting to ground your prep [US Job Openings at 6.7M](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-job-openings-at-67m-implications-for-2026-elections) [Trump's Economic Reset](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-economic-reset-aiming-to-tackle-high-gas-prices) [Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/supreme-courts-voting-rights-ruling-reshapes-2026-elections) [Trump's Federal Election Strategy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-federal-election-strategy-control-before-2026-midterms) Lessons Bite-sized lessons to build the basics [Hidden Stakeholders](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/hidden-stakeholders) [Engagement Strategies](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/engagement-strategies) [Dynamic Analysis](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/dynamic-analysis) [Stakeholder Mapping Workshop](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/stakeholder-workshop) Courses Guided courses that go deeper on the topic [Media & Press Relations](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/media-press) [Advanced Negotiation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/advanced-negotiation) [Multilateral Negotiation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/multilateral-negotiation) [Policy Brief Writing](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/policy-brief) The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance [Ireland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ireland) [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Qatar](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/qatar) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/qatar) [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Germany](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/germany) [South Africa](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-africa) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-africa) [Saudi Arabia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/saudi-arabia) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/saudi-arabia) [France](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/france) [Sudan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/sudan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/sudan) [Switzerland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) [Ukraine](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/ukraine) [Turkey](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) [India](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/india) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/india) [Brazil](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/brazil) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/brazil) ## Frequently asked questions - - - Free account Save conferences, research any topic with AI, build position papers, and keep your daily prep streak — free. 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