Washington Conference June 2026
Summary
This conference explored how the contemporary international order and disorder are experienced and viewed across regions and policy domains, at a time of ongoing geopolitical competition, power diffusion, technological disruption, environmental crisis, glaring inequality, and challenges to political legitimacy.
Panels
U.S. Foreign Policy in Historical Perspective
On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, this panel examined past, present, and potential future of U.S. approaches to world order. What light can history and political science shed on the Trump administration’s “America First” foreign policy, including its underlying motivations and determinants? What elements of continuity and discontinuity are most noteworthy in the country’s current global engagement? What impulses, forces, and variables are most likely to shape the nation’s global role in the coming decades?
Opportunity in ‘Disorder’
This opening plenary panel considered whether the current moment of international upheaval might also present new possibilities for reimagining and reconstituting global order, including its institutions, expressions, and practices. How is the current (dis)order being experienced and perceived in various parts of the world? What are the most likely scenarios for the future of global order and cooperation, given the current trajectory of the international system and the main driving forces at play, including geopolitical, domestic political, economic, ecological, technological, and other trends? How are patterns of agency and power changing, and which actors and communities are most likely to benefit?
The Geopolitics of AI
The emergence of artificial intelligence has been widely interpreted as an era-defining technological advance, with transformative implications that could rival the Industrial Revolution. The panel considers how different countries and regions assess the implications of AI for global security, economic prosperity, and human dignity. How will AI affect geopolitical competition? How will it help or hinder inclusive growth and development? What impact will the emerging AI era have for domestic and international governance?
Climate Security and Energy Security
More than a decade after the Paris Agreement, the world is badly behind on meeting its targets for emissions reductions and struggling to finance climate adaptation. Meanwhile, war in the Persian Gulf has underscored the world’s continued, heavy reliance on fossil fuels. What are the prospects for balancing the twin imperatives of climate and energy security, in an era of massive ecological and geopolitical disruption? How do different actors and regions perceive and prioritize these challenges, and are there any technological, economic, and political trends that provide cause for comfort?
The Middle Power Moment?
The panel considers questions such as what are the prospects for middle powers playing this role? On what topics is this heterogeneous group of nations likely to be most closely aligned—and where can they hope to make a tangible difference, including by committing resources and effort? What are the prospects for bridging North-South divides among middle powers? How can middle powers balance their desire for increased agency with their often-close relations with or dependence on the United States and/or China? How can we help ensure that mini-lateral and plurilateral cooperation among middle powers strengthens and reinforces, rather than weakens and fragments, the United Nations, and the broader multilateral system?
