Student Conference “Politics, the World, the Future”

On July 12, 2021, the student conference “Politics, the World, the Future” was held at the University of Georgia. The goal of the conference was to analyze both problematic and positive developments in the field of politics, identify their root causes, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge regarding global and local perspectives through the lens of the future.

When discussing the actions of opposing sides, how valid can third-party conclusions be in terms of the fairness or moral-ethical evaluation of a particular process? And when it comes to national interests, to what extent is it acceptable to consider the interests of other actors?

In today’s modern, globalized, and interconnected world, the frameworks of cooperation differ significantly from the classical understanding of bilateral relations between two countries. Cooperation—whether in defense and security, economics, technology, medicine, and beyond—is now, by today’s standards, a defining element of both bilateral and multilateral international relations. Moreover, the number of influential centers and actors has increased, with many gaining positions of significance in shaping international politics.

Every primary or secondary actor in the international relations system possesses its own vision for the future, for politics, and for the world. These visions are often more contradictory than cooperative. Nevertheless, there are certain issues on which even traditional ideological adversaries recognize the real advantages of partnership and collaborate—for instance, in addressing international trafficking, nuclear non-proliferation, space exploration, pandemics, and the fight against terrorism.

Our goal is to identify those issues and fields where there is potential for achieving multilateral consensus, as well as to analyze the factors that pose obstacles to reaching this goal. To what extent are we prepared to align real-world politics with value-based categories such as justice and win-win opportunities?