28th International Summer University in Kőszeg

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:

• Russia and the New Global (Dis)Order – geopolitical and historical perspectives
• the global context where the UN was born: Anti-colonial struggles, human rights and neo-colonialism in the second half of the twentieth century
• International Law and the Efficiency of Supranational Oranisations
• The UN: To Reform or to Replace?
• Peacekeeping Victories and Fiascos: The Widely-Known Failures and Hardly-known Success Stories of the UN
• Dealing with Local Conflicts, Human Security and Migrations in Diverse Geopolitical Contexts
• Human Rights and International Aid Organisations: The UN Refugee Agency and The Red Cross
• Non-violent movements and Civil Resistance in Belarus and Russia
• Narratives of AI and its Civilisational Impact: Information Wars, Killer Robots, Algorithms & Democracy

Admission & Fees

Attend our 28th International Summer University and receive two certificates and 5 ECTS credits.

iASK offers 3 different packages for attending the Summer School:

Package A

The full fee is 280 € and it includes the following:

• Registration fee
• 6-day catering (lunch + coffee and refreshments, sandwiches for Vienna trip)
• Free use of iASK facilities (including the library)
• Admission to cultural events
• Excursion to the UN headquarters and Diplomatic Academy in Vienna
• Hotel accommodation in Koszeg, Hotel Harangtorony
• Double room with breakfast

Package B

• The full fee is 380 € and it includes the following:
• Registration fee
• 6-day catering (lunch + coffee and refreshments, sandwiches for Vienna trip)
• Free use of iASK facilities (including the library)
• Admission to cultural events
• Excursion to the UN headquarters and Diplomatic Academy in Vienna
• Hotel accommodation in Koszeg, Hotel Harangtorony
• Single room with breakfast

Package C

The full fee is 310 € and it includes the following:

• Registration fee
• 6-day catering (lunch + coffee and refreshments, sandwiches for Vienna trip)
• Free use of iASK facilities (including the library)
• Admission to cultural events
• Excursion to the UN headquarters and Diplomatic Academy in Vienna
• Hotel accommodation in Koszeg, Hotel Írottkő
• Double room with breakfast

Package D

The full fee is 430 € and it includes the following:

• Registration fee
• 6-day catering (lunch + coffee and refreshments, sandwiches for Vienna trip)
• Free use of iASK facilities (including the library)
• Admission to cultural events
• Excursion to the UN headquarters and Diplomatic Academy in Vienna
• Hotel accommodation in Koszeg, Hotel Írottkő
• Single room with breakfast

Day Pass

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.

Online participants

The registration fee for online participants is 100 €. We will issue the certificates to those who complete the full 6-day program. (Day Pass-5 €)

Application

The application process has 2 steps:

Step 1: Applicants send the following application documents to isu@iask.hu:

The deadline for applications: May 20, 2023

• A completed Application Form downloadable application-form_ISU_2023_3.0
• CV

Step 2: Having been registered, applicants receive payment guidelines for the registration fee

The deadline for payment: June 10, 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 with the relevant information and the program of the event is available here.