4th Annual International Conference
June 9-10 / 2023
Eurasia International University
Yerevan, Armenia
http://eiuconference.tilda.ws/
Deadline for abstract submission: April 12, 2023
Deadline for conference registration: May 30, 2023
Conference Background
In late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and swept the world at an unprecedented rate. It exposed the vulnerabilities in public health systems nationally and globally. Security, about public health, required flexible cooperation, beginning with local communities and extending to systems of global governance. The availability of vaccines varied from region to region. In parallel, vaccine hesitancy challenged the effectiveness of public health officials in combating the pandemic. A single virus, undetectable to the untrained eye, closed down borders and brought down economies and, with them, political elites. Paradoxically, social connectivity proved to be the problem and the solution needed for fighting current and future pandemics. And human security proved to be devastating for communities and countries, large and small.
In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine elevated strategic security to the forefront of politics in global capitals and smaller states. In addition to the tragic devastation of Ukrainian society and economy, the war also effected massive costs for the Russian state. In addition to tens of thousands of casualties, Russia lost one of its major energy markets, triggering a massive wave of global sanctions, which are set to reduce Russia’s bargaining power relative to its allies, friends, and foes in the Eurasian continent and further afield. As with the pandemic, the war has exposed the interconnectedness of the world’s food security systems. The war has created enormous vulnerabilities for many populous developing countries that remain dependent on wheat and grain from Russia and Ukraine.
Both of these major events have accelerated the prior trends of “globalization-going-regional.” The hyper-globalization of the post-Cold War period seems to be moving toward a distinctly regional orientation. The US government is prioritizing “friend-shoring” and “nearshoring,” eager to bring its supply chains closer to home. North America is now set to continue its rise as one of the strongest economic engines of the world economy, along with Europe and East Asia. Whether de-globalization or re-regionalism, the shifting contours of the world economy will have ripple effects in world politics for decades to come.
The purpose of this conference is to understand the impact of these developments on human civil rights and the strategic security of states and societies alike. As great power competition has continued unabated over the past few decades, how will the unsettled regional security systems in Russia’s vast peripheries impact the smaller neighboring states? How do regions engender peace and security? What is the significance and importance of state strength in these regions for creating regional security orders? How do we define a strong state? How should we assess the efficacy of regional security orders built from the bottom up or, conversely, scaled down from the context of great powers? Whose security counts? What type of security is prioritized and to what effect? What are the challenges for human security within a multipolar world order?
How do domestic, supranational, and international jurisdictions currently see the nexus between human and state security on the one hand and human rights on the other? What are the prospects for stronger and deeper diplomacy in conflict regions? How do we address the global flows of refugees and migrants? What is the role of people’s power in keeping states open and peaceful and economies trading with ease? Women’s empowerment is central to shaping people’s power movements and, more generally, political power. How do women apply their agency and voice toward a more prosperous and peaceful world? How has religion played a role in shaping perspectives and relationships, local and global? In the context of shifting structures of world power, what is the future of human security? How well are the structures of a multipolar world order equipped to address such crises as climate change, ethnic cleansing, or human trafficking? And, most importantly, how will the green transition and climate change affect all of these seemingly unavoidable questions?
China’s rapidly increasing footprint in terms of surveillance and political influence can potentially shape strategic competition, as well as the trajectories of democratic states. The strengthening of NATO, and the growing alignment of Russia, Iran, and China, are set to reshuffle geopolitics in the Eurasian continent. Technological supremacy and “innovation power” are emerging as important as the military might. The rise of Artificial Intelligence and its transformative potential on everything from health care to climate change, to warfare and governance, will continue to unsettle established systems and institutions in our politics, economy, and broader societies.
What is the long history of these transformations? How have art, literature, music, religion, and historiography played a role in shaping perceptions over time?
The Working Language of the conference is English.
Paper Submissions: To present a paper on any of the themes noted above, an abstract of 500 words needs to be submitted here:
The submission should contain a title and should be accompanied by a short author’s biography, not to exceed 150 words. The deadline for abstract submissions is April 12th, 2023. Decisions will be announced no later than April 17th. If accepted, full papers must be submitted to panel discussants no later than May 30th.
Professional Development
In addition to thematic panels, the conference will offer professional development panels, run by professors from Stonehill College, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Eurasia International University.
The professional development panels will include topics on course development and syllabus design, digital storytelling pedagogy (multimedia composition), research design and methodology, effective communication and public discourse, policy writing, and humanitarian project management.
The conference is free and open to the public. The deadline for registration to attend the conference is May 30th, 2023.
If you have any questions, please email Mariam Jilavyan at Mariam.jilavyan@eiu.am
Organized in the Framework of the Jean Monnet Module “EU, Security, and Fundamental Rights”
Co-funded by the European Union
Sponsored by Stonehill College, EUSecJuris Jean Monnet Module, Eurasia International University, Eurasia Partnership Foundation