The Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination will convene the annual Program on Religion, Diplomacy and International Relations (PORDIR) colloquium from June 10 to 13, 2018, in Rome, Italy. During the colloquium, PORDIR student fellows will be presenting their independent research projects at the Collegium of the Pontificium Institutum Teutonicum Sanctae Mariae de Anima, a church that has served as the hospice of German speaking visitors in Rome since the 15th century. Student research projects focus broadly on the theme of “Religion and Cyber,” with topics ranging from the future of artificial intelligence and the role of social media in migration, to the strategic suppression of cyber access by authoritarian regimes. Discussants specializing on religious issues and cyber will be in attendance to offer critical feedback on student work.

The event is private and by invitation only.

About PORDIR

The Program on Religion, Diplomacy, and International Relations (PORDIR) explores the influence of religion and religious beliefs on international diplomacy, power politics, crisis and conflict management, and other activities of state and non-state actors. Given the undeniable role religion is playing in interstate and intrastate conflicts and aspects of international affairs in the twenty-first century, PORDIR was created to offer students and faculty at Princeton University the opportunity to study, reflect, and generate ideas concerning the multiple intersections of religion, diplomacy, and international relations. PORDIR facilitates discussions about religion and international relations in a neutral, non-ideological forum; encourages interdisciplinary, intergenerational, international, and interreligious exchanges among students, scholars, and policy practitioners; and promotes research, teaching, and publication relating to religion and international relations. 

The core component of PORDIR is the program's student fellowship program. Each year offers an opportunity for a cohort of undergraduate and graduate students – representing a range of religious, academic and ideological perspectives – to participate as program fellows. Fellows present academic papers to their peers and invited guests during the program’s weekly luncheon seminar series and at the program’s annual colloquium.