Walsh School of Foreign Service
CGES
CGES

TAPS 2026 Call for Papers

Atlantic Inflection? Charting Europe’s Path Forward

Friday, February 20th, 2026

Submissions should be made via email, with all documents in PDF form, to taps@georgetown.edu with “Paper Submission 2026: YOUR SURNAME” as the subject line.

The European Union has long defined itself as both a product and a defender of the rules-based international order. Rooted in law, institutions, and multilateral cooperation, this order has provided for a stable geopolitical environment in which the European project could emerge. The transatlantic relationship played a key role in this, with the United States providing security for Europe and political backing for the rule-based order. The European Union’s eventual prosperity, high living standards, and role as a global regulator are closely tied to this institutional environment.

That foundation is now under unprecedented strain. The second Trump administration is rolling back long-standing U.S. commitments to multilateral institutions and agreements Europe relies on. Washington has favored transactional diplomacy and unpredictable trade policy over institutionalized cooperation, while simultaneously criticizing European democracy and supporting far-right parties on the continent. These shifts, coupled with intensifying U.S.-China competition, the ongoing threat from Russia, and a more fragmented international landscape, have placed Europe in a markedly different strategic environment than the one it has navigated since the post-war period.

For the EU, the implications are profound. What happens when the external support system that once reinforced Europe’s model of integration and law is eroding? Can the EU maintain its cohesion and values if U.S. guarantees lose credibility? Can it continue to preserve and promote the rule of law, both internally and globally, without external reinforcement? And finally, should Europe step into the role of custodian of multilateralism and initiator of new forms of cooperation, or will it be drawn into a world defined increasingly by power politics and bilateral deals?

The 2026 Transatlantic Policy Symposium invites you to engage with these questions. You may consider what are the biggest economic, security, political, or social challenges in Europe and to the transatlantic relationship, and how Europe should deal with them. We welcome contributions from all disciplines, including Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Law, History, and related fields, that address Europe’s role in this new transatlantic environment.