Where is the seminar being held?

The seminar is being held in Bogotá, COL.

What is the primary focus of the seminar?

The primary focus of the seminar is the European Union's role in international relations, as indicated by its format as an international seminar.

Is there a specific venue for the event?

While the city is Bogotá, the specific venue information is not provided.

XXI Seminario Anual Internacional de la Cátedra Jean Monnet

Name: XXI Seminario Anual Internacional de la Cátedra Jean Monnet
Start: 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z
Location: Bogotá

Oct 14, 2026Bogotá, ColombiaIn-person

Registration open

The XXI Seminario Anual Internacional de la Cátedra Jean Monnet, hosted in Bogotá, COL, focuses on the evolving landscape of international relations and the European Union's role within it. This annual seminar serves as a critical forum for academic discourse and policy analysis, bringing together experts to discuss contemporary global challenges and the EU's responses.

Committees & topics

Topics
Reconfiguración del Orden Mundial · Interdependencias Cruzadas en la Economía Global · Esferas de Influencia en el Sistema Internacional Contemporáneo · Fragmentación del Sistema Internacional · Inclusión en la Gobernanza Global · Narrativas de Poder y Disputa por la Legitimidad Internacional

Why it matters

This seminar is particularly relevant given the complex geopolitical shifts occurring worldwide. The discussions will likely explore how the European Union navigates its relationships with other major global players and how its internal dynamics influence its external policies. Understanding these interactions is crucial for anyone interested in international diplomacy and the future of multilateralism.

The event provides a platform for in-depth analysis of the EU's foreign policy, its economic influence, and its efforts to promote democratic values and human rights globally. Participants will gain insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the EU in a multipolar world, making it an essential gathering for scholars, policymakers, and students of international affairs. The focus on the EU's international role offers a unique lens through which to examine broader trends in global governance and cooperation.

How to prepare

To effectively engage with the seminar's themes, participants should consider reviewing the historical context of the European Union's foreign policy development and its key treaties. Familiarity with current events impacting the EU, such as economic shifts, security challenges, and internal political debates, will also be beneficial. Understanding the EU's institutional framework and decision-making processes will provide a solid foundation for appreciating the nuances of the discussions.

Attendees could also benefit from exploring specific case studies of EU engagement in different regions, particularly in Latin America, given the seminar's location in COL. Analyzing various perspectives on the EU's effectiveness as a global actor, including criticisms and successes, will enable a more robust contribution to the dialogue. Preparing questions that challenge conventional wisdom or propose innovative solutions to contemporary international problems can enhance the overall experience and foster more dynamic exchanges.

Country perspectives

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

Colombia

As the host nation, COL provides a Latin American perspective on EU-Latin American relations and the broader implications of European policies on the region.

Role in topic

COL serves as a key partner for the EU in Latin America, engaging in dialogues on trade, peace, and security. The seminar in Bogotá highlights the importance of this bilateral relationship and the mutual interests in fostering international cooperation.

Germany

As a leading member state, DEU's perspective is crucial for understanding the EU's strategic direction and its commitment to multilateralism.

Role in topic

DEU plays a significant role in shaping EU foreign policy, economic strategies, and responses to global crises. Its stance often influences the overall direction of the European project and its engagement with the international community.

France

FRA offers a perspective on European strategic autonomy and defense initiatives within the broader context of EU foreign policy.

Role in topic

FRA is a key proponent of a stronger, more independent European foreign and defense policy. Its contributions to the seminar would likely emphasize the need for the EU to assert its influence on the global stage and address security challenges proactively.

United States

The USA's perspective is vital for understanding transatlantic relations and the impact of EU policies on global security and economic frameworks.

Role in topic

The relationship between the EU and the USA is a cornerstone of the international order. Discussions at the seminar will likely touch upon how these two entities cooperate or diverge on critical global issues, influencing trade, climate, and security policies.

Topics & background

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

Reconfiguración del Orden Mundial

The post-1945 liberal international order, anchored in the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions, and a U.S.-led network of alliances, has come under sustained strain since the 2008 financial crisis. The rise of China as a peer economic and technological competitor, Russia's revisionist posture culminating in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and the relative diffusion of power toward middle and emerging states such as India, Brazil, Turkey, and the Gulf monarchies have eroded the assumption of unipolar American primacy. Institutions designed in the mid-twentieth century — the UN Security Council, the IMF, the WTO — increasingly struggle to reflect contemporary distributions of power or to deliver consensus on crises ranging from Gaza to climate finance. Parallel structures have proliferated: the BRICS grouping expanded in 2024 to include new members; China's Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank offer alternative development finance; and regional blocs such as the African Union and ASEAN assert greater autonomy. The European Union, meanwhile, has sought 'strategic autonomy' in defense, energy, and technology while remaining bound to the transatlantic alliance. The result is neither a clean bipolarity nor a return to multipolar balance, but a contested, layered system in which competing visions of sovereignty, development, and legitimacy coexist. The debate today centers on whether the existing order can be reformed from within — through Security Council expansion, IMF quota redistribution, and revived multilateralism — or whether it is being structurally replaced by parallel institutions and transactional bilateralism. The answer will shape global governance on trade, security, climate, and human rights for decades.

Key players

Interdependencias Cruzadas en la Economía Global

Decades of globalization wove dense webs of cross-border interdependence in trade, finance, energy, technology, and data. By the 2010s, these linkages — semiconductor supply chains routed through Taiwan, European reliance on Russian gas, global dependence on Chinese rare earths and pharmaceutical precursors, the centrality of the U.S. dollar and SWIFT — were increasingly recognized not only as sources of efficiency but as instruments of coercion. Scholars such as Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman have described this as the 'weaponization of interdependence,' a logic that became operational with U.S. sanctions on Iran, the 2022 G7 sanctions regime against Russia, and reciprocal Chinese restrictions on gallium, germanium, and graphite exports. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of just-in-time supply chains, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine accelerated European energy diversification away from Russian hydrocarbons. The United States has pursued 'de-risking' through the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and export controls on advanced semiconductors, while the EU advances its Critical Raw Materials Act and Anti-Coercion Instrument. China, in turn, pursues self-sufficiency under 'dual circulation' and Made in China 2025. Yet full decoupling remains economically prohibitive: bilateral U.S.-China goods trade still exceeds 500 billion dollars annually, and green transition technologies depend on inputs concentrated in geopolitical rivals. The committee challenge is to assess how states can manage asymmetric vulnerabilities without triggering escalatory spirals or fragmenting the global economy into incompatible blocs.

Key players

Esferas de Influencia en el Sistema Internacional Contemporáneo

The concept of 'spheres of influence' — zones in which a great power claims privileged security, political, and economic prerogatives — was a defining feature of nineteenth-century diplomacy and Cold War bipolarity. The post-1991 liberal order formally rejected the notion, enshrining sovereign equality and the right of states to choose their own alignments, as reaffirmed by the OSCE Istanbul Charter of 1999. In practice, however, great-power behavior has continued to assert regional primacy: Russia in the post-Soviet 'near abroad,' the United States through the Monroe Doctrine's residual logic in the Western Hemisphere, and China increasingly across the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and parts of the Indo-Pacific. Recent events have made the concept newly salient. Russia's wars in Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (2014, 2022) were framed in Moscow as resistance to NATO encroachment into a claimed sphere. China's nine-dash line, militarization of artificial features in the Spratlys, and pressure on Taiwan signal a regional order centered on Beijing. The United States' AUKUS pact, expanded basing in the Philippines, and renewed engagement with Pacific Island states reflect a counter-effort to deny exclusive Chinese influence. Meanwhile, middle powers such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and India project influence within their own regions. For smaller and middle states, the revival of sphere-of-influence logic poses a fundamental question: whether sovereign choice of alliances and partners will be respected, or whether geography will once again dictate alignment. The debate engages core UN Charter principles on sovereignty, non-intervention, and the prohibition on the use of force.

Key players

Fragmentación del Sistema Internacional

Fragmentation refers to the breakdown of universal frameworks into competing, partially overlapping regimes across trade, finance, technology, and security. The WTO's Appellate Body has been paralyzed since 2019 due to U.S. blocking of appointments, undermining binding dispute resolution. Trade increasingly flows through preferential agreements — CPTPP, RCEP, USMCA, AfCFTA, the EU's network of FTAs — rather than multilateral rules. In technology, divergent regulatory regimes on artificial intelligence, data flows, and digital currencies are emerging in Brussels, Washington, and Beijing, while internet governance itself faces pressure from sovereigntist visions advanced by Russia and China at the ITU. IMF research has documented the costs: a fully fragmented global economy could lose up to 7 percent of GDP, with developing economies disproportionately affected. Financial fragmentation is visible in the gradual diversification of reserves away from the dollar, experimentation with alternative payment systems such as China's CIPS and India's UPI-linked arrangements, and the rise of central bank digital currencies. In security, the UN Security Council has been deadlocked on Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, pushing crisis management toward ad hoc coalitions and regional organizations. The risk is not a clean split into two blocs but a messier patchwork in which non-aligned and 'multi-aligned' states navigate among partially compatible regimes. The committee must consider whether fragmentation is a transitional disorder to be reversed through institutional reform, or a durable feature requiring new mechanisms of interoperability across rival systems.

Key players

Inclusión en la Gobernanza Global

Calls for inclusion in global governance have grown louder as the legitimacy gap of postwar institutions widens. The UN Security Council's permanent membership reflects 1945; Africa, Latin America, and most of Asia lack permanent seats despite hosting the majority of UN peacekeeping operations and a growing share of global population and GDP. The G77, the African Union's Ezulwini Consensus, and the L.69 Group have long demanded structural reform. The IMF and World Bank, despite the 2010 and 2023 quota reviews, still under-represent emerging economies relative to their share of global output. Inclusion also extends beyond states. Indigenous peoples, women, youth, civil society, and the private sector have pressed for meaningful participation in climate negotiations (UNFCCC), in pandemic preparedness (WHO), and in digital governance (the Global Digital Compact adopted in 2024). The African Union's accession to the G20 as a permanent member in 2023 and the expansion of BRICS in 2024 are concrete steps, but critics argue they remain partial. Gender parity in leadership of multilateral institutions, equitable access to vaccines and climate finance, and recognition of small island developing states' existential concerns remain unresolved. The debate raises a fundamental tension: inclusion broadens legitimacy but can complicate decision-making, while narrow membership preserves efficiency at the cost of representativeness. Delegates must weigh proposals for Security Council expansion, voting reform in international financial institutions, and structured participation of non-state actors.

Key players

Narrativas de Poder y Disputa por la Legitimidad Internacional

Narratives — the stories states tell about themselves, their rivals, and the international order — have become a central terrain of geopolitical competition. The post-Cold War liberal narrative of democracy, open markets, and universal human rights faces sustained challenge from alternative framings: China's 'community of common destiny' and 'civilizational state' discourse; Russia's portrayal of a 'multipolar' world resisting Western hegemony; and a broader Global South narrative invoking sovereignty, non-interference, and historical grievance over colonialism and unequal development. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have sharply exposed perceptions of Western double standards, eroding the persuasive force of rules-based-order rhetoric in much of the world. The instruments of narrative power have multiplied. State-funded international broadcasters (RT, CGTN, France 24, BBC World, Al Jazeera), social media platforms, and AI-generated content compete to shape global publics. Documented disinformation campaigns — Russian interference in elections, Chinese influence operations, and partisan domestic actors — coexist with legitimate public diplomacy. The EU's Digital Services Act, the U.S. debate over platform regulation, and authoritarian information controls represent divergent responses. Meanwhile, summits such as China's Belt and Road Forum, Russia's Africa Summit, and the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit are themselves narrative events as much as diplomatic ones. For Model UN delegates, the question is how international institutions can preserve space for factual deliberation, protect freedom of expression, and counter coordinated manipulation without entrenching censorship or great-power information monopolies. The legitimacy of any future order will depend not only on material power but on whose story is believed.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for XXI Seminario Anual Internacional de la Cátedra Jean Monnet.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

India's 4 Medals at Mundial do Queijo

UE Levanta Sanciones a Ministros Sirios Clave

Puducherry's 91.81% Third-Gender Voter Turn

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Colombia October 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

XXI Seminario Anual Internacional de la Cátedra Jean Monnet

Oct 14, 2026Bogotá, ColombiaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Reconfiguración del Orden Mundial · Interdependencias Cruzadas en la Economía Global · Esferas de Influencia en el Sistema Internacional Contemporáneo · Fragmentación del Sistema Internacional · Inclusión en la Gobernanza Global · Narrativas de Poder y Disputa por la Legitimidad Internacional

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.

Colombia

As the host nation, COL provides a Latin American perspective on EU-Latin American relations and the broader implications of European policies on the region.

Role in topic

Germany

As a leading member state, DEU's perspective is crucial for understanding the EU's strategic direction and its commitment to multilateralism.

Role in topic

France

FRA offers a perspective on European strategic autonomy and defense initiatives within the broader context of EU foreign policy.

Role in topic

United States

The USA's perspective is vital for understanding transatlantic relations and the impact of EU policies on global security and economic frameworks.

Role in topic