Our Vision
Multilateralism, or the pursuit and institutionalization of international cooperation among multiple states, is facing major challenges. Popular nationalism, the resurgence of great power politics, and a growing lack of trust in international organizations are undermining international negatiations and cooperation. States are increasingly withdrawing from multilateral treaties and resorting to bilateral agreements, ad hoc “deals,” and unilateral measures as their preferred means of conducting external relations, which undermines institutionalized cooperation. At the same time, many argue that global problems, such as rapid technological change, environmental degradation, humanitarian crises, and geopolitical tensions, require multilateral solutions.
The University of Vienna's new research platform Multilateralism Revisited brings together researchers from different disciplines, such as political science, international law, international and development studies, and history. Our goal is to better understand how the current crisis differs from previous challenges, to identify continuities and ruptures in the history of international negotiations and cooperation, and to translate these findings into lessons for the future.
Why Vienna?
Vienna has a longstanding tradition of hosting high-level multilateral and international meetings and organizations. The city is home to one of the United Nations' (UN) official headquarters as well as to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and others. Our research platform, Multilateralism Revisited, aims to strengthen the University of Vienna's research profile in light of Vienna's unique position. The platform aims to become a dynamic institutional hub for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on multilateralism, international negotiations, and international cooperation. It will also serve as a place of exchange between practitioners and academics. Multilateralism Revisited aims to integrate multilateralism research across the University of Vienna's faculties and disciplines by pooling existing research projects and offering a true “platform” for colleagues working on related issues. Thus, Multilateralism Revisited hopes to bridge the gaps between scholarly research, diplomatic practice, and civil society organizations, helping to create instruments for transferring knowledge between these spheres.
Vienna is one of the four headquarters of the United Nations. The Vienna International Center (VIC) is home to several organizations from the UN family.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Multilateralism
Five Ph.D. projects lie at the heart of the research activities of Multilateralism Revisited. These projects focus on international negotiation and cooperation in light of the colonial past and its legacies; the governance of dual-use technologies, such as nuclear energy and artificial intelligence; the governance of environmental crimes; and resource extraction in “the global commons”, such as the high seas. We will refine our approach by jointly interrogating existing theories, combining methods, and comparing empirical insights across disciplinary boundaries and cases. Through this process, we aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of multilateralism and its challenges that transcends academic silos.
We will also explore how processes of international negotiation and cooperation have evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries. What can these trajectories tell us about the resilience and adaptability of multilateralism in the face of power and global inequalities, institutional fragmentation, and contestation of science and technology? How can we integrate questions, concepts, and methods from political science, history, law, and international and development studies into an interdisciplinary approach to studying multilateralism, focusing on diplomatic processes and outcomes?
We expect Multilateralism Revisited to deepen our knowledge of past and present multilateral negotiation processes and outcomes. We hope that the results will also be relevant for policy, especially given the urgency of addressing pressing global issues such as the rapid deterioration of the environment, rapid progress in artificial intelligence and its applications, and the growth of anti-multilateralist sentiments and initiatives.
