The project on State, Sovereignty, and Self-Determination addresses issues of boundaries, identity, variants of autonomy, governance, self-determination, self-determination’s potentially devoluting and state-shattering capabilities, and the emerging version of self-determination as “defining one’s own destiny.” Areas of focus in this project have included the Balkans, South Asia, the European Union (EU), and the former Soviet Union.

Gender in the Global Community examines the functioning of gendered structures and norms in the international system, focusing especially on security, human rights, economic activity, and institution building. The project is currently engaged with four key subprojects: Conflict-Related Sexual- and Gender-Based Violence; Global Women’s Work; Women, Peace, and Security; and Children and Armed Conflict. The project supports a yearly student fellowship of about 20 graduate and undergraduate students who meet weekly and conduct independent, intellectually rigorous research.

The project on Europe and the World is a multitier endeavor founded within the Liechtenstein Institute with the intent of developing a deeper understanding of how an ever-changing Europe is understood by its neighbors and the world, with a special focus on the EU and its role as a supranational organization, its geopolitical strengths and weaknesses, and its relation to broader Europe. 

The Project on Self-Determination, Environment, and Migration explores the intersection between self-determination and the topical concerns of migration, sustainable development, and the environment.

The project on Generational Perspectives on National and International Security aims to offer an audible voice to the next generations of leaders to develop an inclusive definition of security while fostering dialogue and mutual trust within and across generations regarding domestic and foreign security challenges. The project objective is to provide young people with the opportunity to develop effective international collaboration on contemporary security issues and to better understand how perception informs reality. It is a self-directed and self-initiated undertaking. 

The project on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, now entering its fifth year, contributes to the regional organization’s security dialogue with a particular focus on emerging dynamics of security and generational perspectives. 

The theme of PORDIR 2022-2023 is “Human Security, Fundamental Rights, and Technology,” and is co-chaired by Prof. Wolfgang Danspeckgruber with Prof. Katherine Marshall, Georgetown University, Exec. Director, World Faith Development Dialogue, Vice President Inter-Faith Initiative of the G20 Forum.

The objective of this 2022 PORDIR seminar is to explore the influence of religion, religious beliefs, values, secularism, and spirituality on the theory and practice in international diplomacy, development, in different systems of global politics and governance, particularly within the G20 realm. The SARS – CoV 2 Pandemic and the resulting public health and socio-economic effects, combined with environmental challenges throughout the G20 world are having a serious impact. PORDIR encourages participants to bring in personal experiences and perspectives combined with research and publication. Fellows meet weekly throughout the entire academic year to receive lectures and to exchange ideas. PORDIR fellows will interact with invited eminent representatives from distinct religious traditions, academia, communal, national, or ideological perspectives. This should contribute to their understanding related to socio-economic development, crises, communal politics, leadership and foreign relations, and the future – considering perspectives based on religions, spiritual interpretations, ideas, or values. Successful PORDIR Fellows will author a research paper which – if accepted – will be presented internationally within the G20. Specific emphasis is placed on intercultural and intergenerational relations, crisis- and conflict management, and the relationship between state and non-state actors. Gender issues and the role of advanced technologies are an important unifying theme and will have special focus this year.

The Crisis Diplomacy project studies the emergent "new" diplomacy of the twenty-first century by considering how post-Cold War global interconnectedness, non-state actors, and challenges from terrorism and piracy to humanitarian crises and pandemics demand an altered conceptualization and practice of "traditional" diplomacy.

The Arctic initiative is an interdisciplinary, multiphase project focusing on issues that include energy, natural resources and environmental concerns, strategic interests of the Arctic States, law and policy development, self-determination of indigenous peoples, and the global shipping trade.

Central Asia and the Caucuses: focuses on issues including security, governance and corruption, energy policy and economic development, drug trafficking, human rights, and regional stability and power dynamics. This project is connected to the Institute’s work on Afghanistan and the region. As the northern neighbors of Afghanistan, the Central Asian republics are affected by and impact key developments in Afghanistan. 

The project on Afghanistan and the Region is a multiyear, multiphase initiative that focuses on state, security, and capacity building in Afghanistan from domestic, regional, and geopolitical perspectives. It is funded in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University works to support local community resilience in the United States, building on expertise from political and elections work around the world.  BDI has an immediate focus of mitigating political violence in the US by supporting a more coordinated response around the 2020 election, while ultimately supporting longer-term solutions to societal polarization.