Dear colleagues, Please find attached the following call of papers: Call for Papers for Workshop on “Obstructionism in International Organizations” 20-22 May 2026 at SAIS Europe, Bologna, Italy Hosts: Nina Hall (Johns Hopkins University, SAIS Europe) & Inken von Borzyskowski (University of Oxford) This workshop will bring together scholars of international organizations for a two-day workshop at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe in Bologna, Italy. The workshop is open to PhD students, post-docs, junior and senior faculty. Please find more information on the attached flyer. Workshop topic This workshop will examine what forms obstructionism takes in international organizations; and with what effect. Obstructionism seems increasingly relevant with the rise of far-right and populist politicians, many of whom are openly critical of international institutions. Yet research shows that nationalist and populist states are not more likely to withdraw from international organizations, but may instead seek other ways to obstruct these institutions short of exit (e.g. Hungary in the European Union). Moreover, it is not only nationalist/populist, far-right or autocratic actors who engage in obstructionism, as this workshop will explore. A wide range of international organizations are experiencing internal challenges and subversion from their own member states. We can witness obstruction in organizations such as the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Criminal Court, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. One challenge for scholars is to differentiate between legitimate institutional negotiation and deliberate obstruction aimed at undermining international cooperation and the agreements these institutions produce. Internal backlash from member states against international cooperation poses grave challenges to the resilience of international institutions and requires an analysis of the patterns, drivers, and solutions to enable informed policy recommendations. We seek to better understand both the landscape of forms that obstructionism takes, the causes underlying it, and consequences. These gaps in the academic conceptualization and understanding of obstructionism need to be addressed before we can derive potential institutional innovations to mitigate such obstructionism and develop policy responses. Research questions that participants will be invited to discuss include but are not limited to: 1. What constitutes IO obstructionism, and what are the different types of obstructionism? 2. Which actors engage in obstruction strategies in international organizations, and why? 3. How have these obstruction strategies evolved over time and across different IOs and issue-areas? 4. What impact have obstruction strategies had on international cooperation and implementation of international agreements? 5. What efforts are most effective at counteracting obstruction in international organizations, and why? Meals, accommodation, and travel expenses are funded by grants from the Thyssen Foundation and Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe. Thanks to both institutions for their support. For co-authored papers, expenses are covered only for one of the authors. Please submit your abstract of 300-500 words by 15 December 2025 to this Google Form<https://forms.gle/ttnjdcV9YLJ4UYuH6>. We will look for a range of papers on a diverse group of institutions (both regional and global) and issue-areas. We encourage PhD students and post-docs to apply, and scholars from different world regions. Participants are expected to participate in the entire workshop. Thank you for your interest. Inquiries can be sent to Nina Hall (nhall@jhu.edu<mailto:nhall@jhu.edu>) and/or Inken von Borzyskowski (inken.borzyskowski@politics.ox.ac.uk<mailto:inken.borzyskowski@politics.ox.ac.uk>). The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, forwarding, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited without the express permission of the sender. If you received this communication in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.