What terms should you know for 2026’s political calendar?
The AI Act
First coming into force in August 2024 on a phased basis most of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act’s general provisions will fully come into effect in August 2026. The Act introduced a 4 class regulatory framework in which AI programs were ranked from minimal risk to unacceptable. The unacceptable category is reserved mainly for the prohibition of social scoring systems, manipulative programs designed to cause harm, and the regulation of real time biometric AI systems. However, with the rise of non-consensual sexual imagery generation from programs like Grok, the EU and its legislative capabilities will come under further scrutiny in regulating this rapidly evolving field in 2026.
Article 26 Bunreacht na hÉireann
Under the Irish constitution, the Irish President is, after consultation with the Council of State, empowered to refer a bill (other than a money bill or constitutional amendment) to the Supreme Court over its constitutionality (article 26). While the President is constitutionally restrained up to the point that official addresses to the nation are supposed to be approved by the government, successive presidents have pushed against this over issues they deem of importance. Whether we will see the first conflict between new President Catherine Connolly and the current government particularly over changes to Irish defence legislation remains unclear. Neutrality is not constitutionally legislated; however, article 29 does state that ‘the State shall not adopt a decision taken by the European Council to establish a common defence.’
BRICS+
This intergovernmental grouping of states was created to act as an economic and political forum for countries who seek alternatives to western institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF, and the G7. Founded in 2009, it has expanded altogether to include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. India will take on the chairmanship for 2026 with their external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stating that their four broad priorities would be “resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.’
European Civilisation
A loaded and much debated and criticised term historically, it is directly cited in President Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy released in December of last year. American foreign policy has diverted from its traditional focus on China and Russia to ensuring US influence in the Western hemisphere and a critique of Europe. A core aim is outlined as ‘preserving the freedom and security of Europe, while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity.’ The larger issues facing Europe are defined as transnational bodies like the European Union and migration policies. The EU is seen to ‘undermine political liberty and sovereignty’ and migration policies are blamed for ‘creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence.’ The Trump administration has outlined in the official document that Europe is culturally vital to the US and that it will encourage ‘the growing influence of patriotic European parties.’
Judicial Review
A high-courts legal process wherein decisions made by administrative bodies or lower courts can be appealed over the ‘lawfulness of the decision-making process.’ This is not the same as appealing against a decision over its substance. Judicial review is about whether the correct legal process was followed within the decision making process not over the merit of the decision itself. In November 2025 the Director of Housing and Planning at the Construction Industry Federation claimed in an RTÉ interview that judicial reviews in Ireland were ‘off the charts.’ However, the causes of this are debated over by government officials, academics and legal professionals. New legislation has been promised to limit the perceived excess of judicial reviews within Ireland’s housing sector. Whether it will prove effective remains to be seen.
NATO’s Article 5
‘An attack against one….shall be considered an attack against all.’
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s article 5 or collective defence pact is a pivotal piece of the post-war liberal order. Its 1949 creation was designed to contain Soviet communism. Its expansion to now 32 member states including most recently Sweden and Finland continues to define Western relations with Russia. Article 5 is initiated in the event of an ‘armed attack’ on one or more member states. Traditionally understood as an armed invasion, ‘armed attack’ has laterally been defined by members state leaders to include hybrid-warfare attacks such as significant cyber attacks. Once initiated members are obligated to offer assistance to the affected state. This assistance does not have to be armed assistance but Article 5’s perceived effectiveness often relies on the threat of joint armed defence. Article 5 has been triggered once after 9/11. However, it was not designed to endure incursions from fellow member states, making recent US threats over Greenland critical to NATO’s existence.
The Monroe Doctrine
Originally named after President James Monroe’s policy that the American continent should be free from European colonial influence, the policy has come to mean a USA controlled sphere of influence over the Americas. President Theodore Roosevelt added to it in the 19th century claiming the USA had the right to militarily intervene in Latin American states if the US perceived ‘chronic wrongdoing’ or ‘impotence [..] resulting in the ‘loosening of the ties of civilised society.’ Most recently President Trump has added to it, calling it ‘the Donroe Doctrine.’ His 2025 national security strategy states ‘the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.’