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Research & Studies
June 25th – June 30th, 2023
At iASK in Kőszeg, Hungary (H-9730 Kőszeg, Chernel utca 14.)
As new geopolitical realities are producing multiple security threats and fears of new armed conflicts throughout the world, collaboration on other global problems that pose existential threats to humanity are increasingly challenging. There is a war again in Europe. The organisation that was created to prevent such bloody conflicts is helpless, like it has proven to be so many times before. A few years ago, we have seen a similar catastrophe in Syria, earlier we have seen it on the territories of the former Yugoslavia, and we can mention the war in Vietnam, or the Palestinian conflict having remained unsolved for the past 80 years. There have been repeated violations of the UN charter – possibly more than the respect thereof – by its member states: the US in Guatemala in 1953, the Soviet Union in Hungary in 1956, or the Warsaw pact troops in Czechoslovakia in 1968 are just a few of the many examples. The list could go on. Is it a problem of the charter or the organisation? Is it the structure or the application of basic principles? Is the international community keeping alive an obsolete conglomerate or is it missing out on a grand opportunity? Is there or could there be an alternative to the UN, or does need radical reforms to become capable of accomplishing its mission? What role can the EU, the US, and other nation states assume in the efforts to reformulate their political communities and maintain a culture of peace in the face of violence? As for the European community, will it be realistic for it to maintain its positions of soft-power without the exercise of hard-power? What are the aspirations of the EU as to its migration and integration policies?
The 28th International Summer University, organised by the Institute of Advanced Studies Kőszeg in partnership with ISES Foundation, and the University of Pannonia focuses on war, armed conflicts and the role of the United Nations in dealing with such conflicts. The discussion of war, and the prevention, resolution of armed conflicts, as well as the practices of reconciliation will point to the responsibility, agency, and limitations of the UN, the most unique supra-national organization ever brought to life, and raises the question of the role of other organisations, civil or otherwise, in the formulation of the new order and status quo. Topics we will cover are as follows:
15:00 – 15.30 Registration
15:30 – 16:00 Participants’ introductions
Moderator: Izabella Agárdi
16:00 – 16:10 Ferenc Miszlivetz, General Director, iASK
16:10 – 16:20 Miklós Réthelyi, Chair, Hungarian UNESCO Committee
16:20 – 16:30 András Nagy, Senior research fellow, iASK
16:30 – 16:40 Béla Básthy, Mayor of Kőszeg
16:40 – 17:00 Coffe Break
17:00 – 18:30 Panel
Russia, Europe and the New Global Peace Order
The “special military operation” that the Russian President Vladimir Putin started in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is reshaping the world order in political, economic, and security terms. The views on this armed conflict vary across political and business circles and elites, dramatically effecting not only Ukraine but also the European Union and Russia. While new division lines between variously perceived political and economic interests become acute, some major questions remain unanswered: what is Putin’s endgame? What are the short-term and long-term impacts of the war on Ukraine, Europe, and Russia? Panelists will discuss these and related questions.
17:00 – 17:30 Keynote Address: Lüdger Kühnhardt
17:30 -18:30 Panel Discussion
Chair: Ferenc Miszlivetz
Panelists:
19:00 Musical performance by Károly Binder in the Synagogue of Kőszeg
20:00 Reception
Registration and login: 9:30 – 10:00
Chair: Attila Pók
MORNING SESSION: 10:00-12:00
International Law and the Efficiency of Supranational Organisations
The Hague Peace Conference of 1899 and the later agreements, institutions and contracts could not avoid international conflicts developing into wars. What is the difference between the legal status of the UN and of the previous institutions from the Vienna Conference through the League of Nations to different transnational cooperation? Where are the limits of the legal authority of the UN and what kind of inbuilt contradictions avoid that it could properly function? What can be done for creating a really effective organization?
Panelists:
12:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 16:00 AFTERNOON SESSION 1 (group activity):
Topic: The UN: To Reform or to Replace?
The “United Nations” was a synonym for those nations that were fighting against fascism, starting 80 years ago. The Charter and the foundation of the organization is nearly the same old, meanwhile the world has changed enormously after that. What were the reforms that shaped and reshaped the UN in its history and what could be the scenarios for an effectively working global organization? Is the UN reformable or should it be replaced? What do think tanks suggest and what is the interest of the real decision makers? How does the next generation look at the UN, is it a dinosaur or a spaceship?
Working groups are lead by morning panellists.
16:00 – 18:00 AFTERNOON SESSION 2 (group activity):
Topic: The War of Russia on Ukraine: Geopolitical and Historical Perspectives
The panel is aimed to focus on empires that seem to be constant players of word history including the first and second world wars. Empires, imagined or real, play key roles in contemporary relations of between nations being with each other in harmony or conflict. The panel will focus on the historical, sociological, economic and social psychological legacy of empires in the emerging new world order with a special emphasise on the present war between Russia and the Ukraine.
Participants: Sean Cleary, Andrew Arato, Csaba Olay, György Csepeli
Moderator: Izabella Agárdi
Day trip to the UN Headquarters and to the Vienna School of International Studies
Registration & Login: 9:30 – 10:00
MORNING SESSION: 10:00 – 12:00 Panel Discussion
Peacekeeping Victories and Fiascos: The Widely-Known Failures and Hardly-known Success Stories of the UN
From the unresolved Palestinian issue through the Korean war, the failures dealing with the Soviet invasion in Hungary in 1956 and with that of the Warsaw Pact in Czechoslovakia in 1968, through the tragedy in Rwanda, in Yugoslavia, in Iraq, in Syria and currently in Ukraine dramatically raises the question of the trouble-shooting capacity of the UN. What are the analogies between these tragedies, what are the lessons to learn and why was the UN inactive? What is the responsibility of the Charter in these failures and what is the share of the great powers of sabotaging the work of the organization once they created? On the other hand, several peacekeeping operations were and are executed in different parts of the world, in conflict zones, in front lines dividing warrior groups, in disputed areas with growing tensions that we do not read in the papers about, unlike those cases when wars start. How effective are these endeavors? What is it like to be deployed in a conflict zone? What are the controversies, achievements, and conclusions of these operations, when seen through the eyes of a participant?
Chair: András Nagy
Panelists (military experts, ex-peacekeepers, historians, political scientists):
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch break
Afternoon session 1: 13:30 – 14:30 Thematic Working Groups
Topic: News and Information in Times of Conflict
Lead by Péter Krekó
Afternoon session 2: 14:30 – 16:00 Thematic Working Groups
Topic: Dealing with Local Conflicts, Human Security and Migrations in Diverse Geopolitical Contexts
Case studies from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the 1968 conflict in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslav War of the 1990s, the genocide in Rwanda, the war in Iraq in 2000s, the civil war in Yemen, the Syrian conflict, the war of Russian on Ukraine will be discussed in small groups. The discussions employ historical, political and ethnographical (social) and civilisational perspectives as well.
Working groups are lead by morning panellists.
Registration & login: 9:30 – 10:00
MORNING SESSION: 10:00 – 12:00 Panel Discussion
Human Rights and International Aid Organisations: The UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF and The Red Cross
How do different organisations of the UN and other supranational organisations work and how does their work impact human rights? What are their main missions? How effective UN conventions are? These are the questions, and topics, on which experts from different public policy areas will provide important insights.
Chair: Katalin Galambos
Panelists:
12:30 –14:00 Lunch break
AFTERNOON SESSION: 14:00 – 18:00 Film screening and Q &A session
Topic: The War Machine
The film screening, followed by a Q & A session will discuss the topic of automation and the increasing role of AI in warfare, and its adverse impact on human security. We will discuss the dangers of killer robots, distant operators, algorithmic violence, and other elements of cyber-warfare.
18:00 Wine tasting and Food Pairing Event
Registration & login: 9:30 – 10:00
MORNING SESSION: 10:00 – 12:00 Panel Discussion
Human Agency in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Role of International Organisations in Regulating Disruptive Technologies
With increased reliance on AI for labour, education and everyday life, humanity could be facing a rapid advancement of machine agency. This panel addresses the key challenges and advantages of AI systems and the role of international organisations in regulating disruptive technologies that are radically transforming the societies at a fast pace. Is it possible to regulate AI to ensure it is being used responsibly worldwide? What kind of global cooperation is required to tackle these pressing issues and how international organizations can work towards safeguarding human values and ethical principles.
Chair: Ivana Stepanovic
Panelists:
12:00 – 12:30 Wrap-up, Closing remarks and Feedback
Izabella Agárdi, research fellow, iASK, Kőszeg
Andrew Arató, Professor in Political and Social Theory in the Sociology Department at the New School for Social Research
Béla Básthy, Mayor of Kőszeg
Dalma Bíró, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots campaign coordinator, Budapest
János Bogárdi, senior advisor, iASK
László Borhi, associate professor, Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Sean Cleary, Chairman, Strategic Concepts Ltd., Cape Town
György Csepeli, Professor of Social Psychology, ELTE, Budapest
David Daou, UNU-EHS, Bonn
André Erdős, former UN Ambassador of Hungary
Katalin Galambos, research fellow, iASK
Cordel Green, vice-chairman of the international bureau for UNESCO’s Information For All Programme (IFAP); and chairman of the UNESCO-IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility, Kingstown (Jamaica)
István Gyarmati, ambassador, professor of security and defense policy, European security, conflict management, Budapest
Péter Juhász, professor, Semmelweis University, research fellow, iASK, Budapest and Kőszeg
Marianna Kármán, head of Migration Department at Hungarian Red Cross, Budapest
Illés Katona, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots campaign youth coordinator, Budapest
Krekó Péter, executive director of Political Capital, Budapest
Ludger Kühnhardt, director, Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsstudies, University of Bonn, Bonn
Anikó Magasházi, Head of International Relations, iASK, Kőszeg
Mónika Mátay, senior research fellow, iASK, associate professor of history, ELTE
Anett Matkó, expert in international realtions, UNICEF Hungary, Budapest
Ferenc Miszlivetz, professor of sociology, Director, iASK, Kőszeg
András Nagy, senior research fellow, iASK, Kőszeg
Csaba Olay, professor, ELTE, Budapest
Lisbeth Pilegaard, Founder & CEO, Pilegaard Consulting, Copenhagen
Ferenc Pongrácz, Regional Director of EIT Health InnoStars
Attila Pók, senior advisor, iASK
Miklós Réthelyi, chair of the Hungarian National Committee of UNESCO, professor emeritus, Semmelweis University
Ivana Stepanovic, research fellow, iASK, Kőszeg
Zoltán Szenes, professor emeritus, National University of Public Service, Budapest
Zoltán Turbék, deputy head of mission of the Hungarian UN / WTO Mission at Geneva
László Z. Karvalics, research fellow, iASK, Kőszeg
Fees
Attend our 28th International Summer University and receive two certificates and 5 ECTS credits.
We offer 6 different packages (A, B, C, D, Day pass, Online participants) for attending the Summer School:
Package A
The full fee is 280 € and it includes the following:
Package B
The full fee is 380 € and it includes the following:
Package C
The full fee is 310 € and it includes the following:
Package D
The full fee is 430 € and it includes the following:
You can purchase a single-day pass or pay for as many days you wish to attend. (except for the excursion day to Vienna, because of the limited number of seats on the bus). The price of the daily pass is 25 € We are unable to issue certificates to those who do not complete the full 6-day program.
The registration fee for online participants is 100 €. We will issue the certificates to those who complete the full 6-day program. (Day Pass-20 €)
The application process has 2 steps:
Step 1: Applicants send the following application documents to [email protected]:
The deadline for applications: June 15, 2023
Step 2: Having been registered, applicants receive payment guidelines for the registration fee
The deadline for payment: June 15, 2023
Eligibility: Advanced MA and PhD students and young researchers, as well as social entrepreneurs, who have a keen academic or professional interest in the topics.
The brochure of the Summer University the program of the event is available here: isu2023_program_nyomda
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