Center for International Studies

The Center for International Studies (CEI-IUL)  is a multidisciplinary research center at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, a public university based in Lisbon, Portugal. Its core mission is to develop academic research, thinking and intervention in a range of complex social, political and economic phenomena that go beyond national and regional borders. Its commitment is to produce research of excellence addressing the most critical 21st Century international developments and societal challenges, as well as the consequences of globalisation. CEI-IUL is divided into three research groups – Institutions, Governance and International relations; Societal and Developmental challenges; Economy and Globalization – and its research focuses on four regional areas – Africa; Europe & Transatlantic Relations; Asia & the Middle East; Latin America & the Caribbean. CEI-IUL develops its research agenda and activities in close articulation with different graduate programs at ISCTE-IUL, combining interdisciplinary research with a broad public-oriented activity, promoting research dissemination and public awareness of science and engaging in public debates. Committed to a policy of open access for its research outputs, CEI-IUL is a member of some of the leading international research networks on International Studies and articulates many of its activities with civil society and public institutions.

Within research group Institutions, Governance and International relations two major research programs are covered. The first deals with international relations and global governance, where researchers study the architecture of global governance and international, regional, and global political institutions, as well as organisations. The goal is to go beyond the traditional perspective of international organisations as merely the sum of its members and their policies and to focus primarily on the relationships between domestic politics and foreign policies, decision-making processes and public policies in world affairs. Given the increasing role of non-state agents in world politics, our interest is not only in relations between countries but also in transnational non-governmental and civil society organisations and their influence on global, national, or local policy arenas. Particular attention is paid to changing regional power dynamics. The second research program focuses on the multidisciplinary study of the most relevant security challenges for the 21st century. It includes traditional threats to peace, such as interstate and regional armed conflicts; the perils of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; and the proliferation of conventional weapons and technologies. Particular attention is given to the spread of new, cross-border, and transnational challenges to peace and security. Topics explored include the interplay between information technologies and security (namely cyber and drones), terrorism prevention, and also environmental security, climate change, food and water shortage.