EISA 19th Pan-European Conference on International Relations

Assistant professor Dr. Nazli Üstünes Demirhan of the department of Political Science and International Relations and Head of the IUE European Union Research and Application Center (EKOAB) attended the 19^th European International Studies Association (EISA) Pan-European Conference (PEC) on international relations at the ISCTE-University Institute in Lisbon.

This year the theme of EISA-PEC revolved around the evolution of international relations in an increasingly volatile geopolitical world, marked by disinformation, epistemic inequality, and the erosion of shared truths. Lisbon serves as the crossroads between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, offering a unique vantage point for exploring contemporary international relations.

Dr. Üstünes Demirhan presented her paper “Contestation within Legal Regimes: Safe Country Concepts and the Evolution of Non-Refoulement in Europe” examining European Union asylum policy and the EU’s narrowing protection responsibilities, amidst continuous contestation by protection-oriented actors. In her study, Dr. Üstünes Demirhan demonstrates how cumulative micro-level changes can gradually contract the protective reach of a highly institutionalized norm like non-refoulement, while leaving its legitimacy and core applicatory requirements largely intact.

For more information about the conference visit the website of the Pan-European Conference to learn more: https://eisa-net.org/pec-2026/

For related research by Dr. Üstünes Demirhan on contestation and international legal regimes, see her earlier publication in Alternatives: Global, Local, Political. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03043754231169418