OBSERVARE is a Latin verb used here as an abbreviation for Observatory of Foreign Relations. The logo recalls the ziggurats, which were a sort of pyramid-shaped temples that existed in ancient Mesopotamia several millennia B.C. They were monuments where religious symbolism merged with the observation of wide open spaces.

JANUS is a deity with two opposing faces of Indo-European origin, and one of the oldest in Rome. As the god of beginnings (January) and of the transitions between past and future, and as a gatekeeper, it watches both what is inside and outside, left and right, and what is in the front and in the back. It thus symbolizes the versatility needed in the analysis of international relations.

2nd cycle of Bologna – Applications now open (+ info portuguese PDF)

Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa has been offering the Master Degree in Peace and War Studies in the New International Relations since 2003-2004. The course acts as a meeting point between strategic reflection and peace promotion.

The course’s target audience includes diplomats, international officers, journalists, international relations experts, including young graduates, and members of the military and security forces. It aims to confer students skills on strategic issues (in a rapidly changing international context), including non-military threats and new forms of violence. The course also examines peace promotion matters (preventive diplomacy, crisis management, conflict mediation, and social reconstruction processes).

The structure of the Master follows a sequence of six courses (theoretical and methodological, legal, economic, strategic, and current affairs perspectives), followed by three seminars (focusing on specific sectoral issues) supervised by Portuguese and foreign experts.

Dissertation topics are connected to OBSERVARE’s research projects. OBSERVARE is UAL’s research unit in International Relations.

Classes start on 24 September 2012

Timetable: 18h30- 22h00

Twice a week: Mondays and Tuesdays. 

Information:

International Relations Department

Tel. + 351 21 317 76 00 Ext. 437 – Fax + 351 21 317 76 38

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

http://.universidade-autonoma.pt

RESEARCH PRIOR TO 2013

Strand A) Dynamics and Interactions in Greater Eurasia

Coordinator: Luis Tomé

Projects:

1. Southern Caucasus: Challenges, dynamics and major players in the area of security
   Luis Tomé, Raquel Freire and Licínia Simão — Project concluded
   
   
2. Portugal in the context of Asia-Europe interactions in the field of security
   Miguel Santos Neves and Luis Tomé
   
   
3. European Policy on Security and Defense
   Luis Tomé, Rogério Leitão and Pedro Ferreira da Silva

Strand B) Trends in International Current Affairs

Coordinators: Brígida Brito and Manuel Farto

Projects:

1. The strategies of international players in the field of the environment
   Brígida Rocha Brito, Korinna Horta, Viriato Soromenho-Marques (participant), Filipa Gomes, Eduardo Ganilho and Catarina Mendes Leal — Project concluded
   
   
2. Portugal in the whirlwind of economic crisis
   Manuel Farto and Henrique Morais — Project concluded
   
   
3. The role of middle powers: Brazil, Turkey
   Evanthia Balla — post-doctoral project
   
   
4. The Ibero-American community
   Nancy Gomes — PhD project
   
   
5. The relations between China and Latin America
   Nancy Gomes, Rui Paiva and Raquel Patrício
   
   

Strand C) The individual and International Law

 Coordinator: Miguel Santos Neves 

Projects:

1. International Criminal Justice
   Mateus Kowalski, Patrícia Galvão Teles, Luís Moita and Sofia Santos
   
   
2. The status of the individual in global order from the point of view of humanities and social sciences
   Soraya Nour and Sofia Santos

Strand D) Peace and War Studies

 Coordinator: Luís Moita

Projects:

1. Master dissertations in Peace and War Studies
   
   
2. Security and Defense in portuguese-speaking countries (PALOP) – their military instruments
   Luís Valença Pinto, Isabel Nunes, Eduardo Costa Dias, J. C. Mendonça da Luz, António Rebelo Teixeira, Rita Duarte and Bruno Gabriel — Project concluded
   
   
3. The Metamorphoses of Violence – the changes in armed conflicts over the last 100 years
   Luís Moita, Isabel Nunes, Luís Valença Pinto, Filipe Vasconcelos Romão and Rita Duarte
   

Strand E) History and Diplomacy

Coordinator: Luís Fraga

Projects:

1. Portugal and the Empire
   Hermínio Esteves — PhD project
   
   
2. From the Empire to the State – the origin of the modern State-Nation system
   Luís Moita, José Subtil and Lucas Freire (participan) — Project concluded
   

RESEARCH BETWEEN 2013 AND 2017