The Rule of Law and the Right to Self-Determination as the Foundations of Political Order. A Philosophical Dialogue of Scholars and Students from Poland, Germany, Georgia, and Ukraine
As part of the project “The Rule of Law and the Right to Self-Determination as the Foundations of Political Order. A Philosophical Dialogue of Scholars and Students from Poland, Germany, Georgia, and Ukraine”, implemented between March 1 and October 31, 2025, an international academic conference combined with a summer school titled “The Rule of Law and the Crisis of Democracy” was organized in Georgia, in Zugdidi and Anaklia, on September 13–22, 2025. The conference and summer school served as a platform for philosophical and legal exchange among participants from Poland, Germany, Georgia, Ukraine, and the United States. The event combined academic presentations by recognized scholars with workshop-based learning for younger participants.
Conference
The conference brought together around 80 participants from various academic institutions — researchers, doctoral candidates, and students. Papers were presented by scholars from:
– University of Warsaw (Poland),
– Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany),
– Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State University (Georgia),
– Georgian Technical University (Tbilisi, Georgia),
– Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine),
– Pennsylvania State University (USA).
The presentations addressed, among other topics, the Polish tradition of combining universal human rights with concern for sovereignty, German constitutionalism rooted in the philosophy of Kant and Hegel, the Georgian model of the rule of law in the context of European integration, and Ukraine’s experience of defending the rule of law under wartime conditions.
Summer School
An integral part of the event was the summer school for students and doctoral candidates, organized in cooperation with Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State University. It involved 15 participants:
– 7 students from Poland (University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University),
– 4 students from the USA (Pennsylvania State University),
– 4 students from Georgia (Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State University, Georgian Technical University).
Participants attended lectures, workshops, and discussion sessions led by invited experts. They also worked in international teams on model solutions for implementing the principles of the rule of law in diverse political and cultural contexts. The results of their work were presented during the conference’s closing session.
Combining the formats of a conference and a summer school created a unique space in which young researchers could engage in debates with established scholars while developing their own research and teaching skills.
