Category: Editorial communication

Contemporary Security Policy is seeking proposals for a special issue to be published in January 2022 (volume 43(1)). The special issue should address a topic within the aims and scope of the journal. CSP has an impact factor of 1.880, which ranks the journal #27 out of 95 in the category International Relations.

One of the oldest peer reviewed journals in international conflict and security, CSP promotes theoretically-based research on policy problems of armed conflict, intervention and conflict resolution. Since it first appeared in 1980, CSP has established its unique place as a meeting ground for research at the nexus of theory and policy. Major fields of concern include:

• War and armed conflict
• Peacekeeping
• Conflict resolution
• Arms control and disarmament
• Defense policy
• Strategic culture
• International institutions

CSP is committed to a broad range of intellectual perspectives. Articles promote new analytical approaches, iconoclastic interpretations and previously overlooked perspectives. Its pages encourage novel contributions and outlooks, not particular methodologies or policy goals. Its geographical scope is worldwide and includes security challenges in Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Authors are encouraged to examine established priorities in innovative ways and to apply traditional methods to new problems.

Special Issue Information

Special issue proposals should contain (in one PDF document):

• A short discussion of the rationale and contribution of the special issue (3 pages max). Please also state why the topic falls within the aims and scope of the journal and why the proposal would be of interest to a large audience.
• Contact details, institutional affiliation, one paragraph biography of the special issue co-editors, and three recent publications of each of the co-editors. Feel free to include a link to the personal website of the co-editors. Do not submit full CVs.
• A list of confirmed articles and authors. Please include for each article (a) the title; (b) 150 word abstract; (c) a very short statement how the article contributes to the special issue and why it needs to be included; (d) a one paragraph author biography; and (e) three recent publications of the author(s).
• The current state of the special issue. Please describe the background (e.g. previous workshops and conferences) and the timeframe towards the submission deadline.

The special issue will consist of a substantive introduction and 6-7 articles. The introduction should stand on itself. It should serve as a state-of-the-art article and be a reference point for all the other articles in the special issue. It is recommended that special issue proposals include 9-10 articles. All articles will be sent by the journal for peer-review on an individual basis. It is unlikely that all articles will eventually make the cut.

Most articles in CSP are around 8,000-9,000 words (including notes and references). However, manuscripts up to 11,000 words are accepted, for example when they include multiple case studies or use mixed methods. Total word limits will be discussed in case of acceptance.

Please submit your application (one PDF file) to csp@nullmaastrichtuniversity.nl. The deadline for the special issue proposal is 20 November 2020. The decision will be announced soon afterwards. The decision by the editor is final. All articles, including the introduction, will have to be submitted by 19 March 2021. The full special issue should go into production in October 2021.

The coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the world affecting all aspects of our societies. As a scholar, I have been truly impressed by all the quality medical research and the joint effort to understand COVID-19, treat patients, develop vaccines, and formulate prudent policy responses.

At the same time, it is clear that medical research is not enough. Experts in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) also have important things to say about the effects of the securitization of healthcare, border closures, varieties in security cultures and policy-making across countries, the psychological effects of quarantine, international cooperation and global health governance, legal provisions and individual rights, ethical questions and moral dilemmas, and many more things.

To facilitate the publication of SSH scholarship on COVID-19, in mid-March 2020, as one of the first journals in the field of political science and international relations, Contemporary Security Policy launched a call for papers on the security (policy) implications of the coronavirus to be published as a special forum. The response was impressive. Within a month, by the initial deadline of mid-April, we received around a dozen papers on a variety of topics.

Of those submissions, three articles on security research and COVID-19 are included this special forum. Not surprisingly, these articles all engage with the concept of securitization (Buzan et al., 1998) in one form or the other. Securitization indeed has many things to say about how COVID-19 is framed, the state of emergency, and the exceptional measures taken across our societies. More surprisingly, all three articles are interdisciplinary using insights from border studies, educational sciences, and the legal discipline. In normal times some of these articles would perhaps be slightly beyond the scope of Contemporary Security Policy, but in this time of crisis it is encouraging to see disciplines talking to each other and we are pleased to make our pages available.

The articles in the special forum are:

•  Adam J. Ferhani & Simon Rushton, The International Health Regulations, COVID-19, and bordering practices: Who gets in, what gets out, and who gets rescued?
• Hannah van Kolfschooten & Anniek de Ruijter, COVID-19 and privacy in the European Union: A legal perspective on contact tracing. 
• Michael Murphy, COVID-19 and emergency eLearning: Consequences of the securitization of higher education for post-pandemic pedagogy

In line with our existing editorial standards, the format of special forums is flexible. Forum articles are shorter in length than research articles and authors are given more leeway, with the purpose to trigger debate and quickly react to unfolding events. Nevertheless, Contemporary Security Policy is an academic journal. We do not run commentary or publish policy papers. Especially with COVID-19, where policy-makers rely extensively on experts, articles have to be of the highest possible academic standard. All three articles have, in this respect, gone through one round of external peer-review and subsequently the usual one or two rounds of editorial review and editing. When shooting at a moving target, there is the risk that data and conclusions may soon be outdated, but if SSH scholars are to have a say, this is a risk worth taking. 

At the time of writing in mid-May 2020, the COVID-19 crisis is far from over. The coronavirus is still spreading across the world and a lot of uncertainty remains including over the prospect of a potential second wave. Beyond this special forum, Contemporary Security Policy will remain available for research articles on COVID-19 and we are also keen on publishing articles that go beyond the concept of securitization. It is likely that the coronavirus will have security implications around the world for the years to come and we will analyze them in this journal.

Hylke Dijkstra
Editor-in-Chief

Reference list

Buzan, B., Wæver, O., & De Wilde, J. (1998). Security: A new framework for analysis. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Contemporary Security Policy is seeking proposals for a special issue to be published in 2021 (volume 42). The special issue should address a topic within the aims and scope of the journal. CSP has an impact factor of 1.574, which ranks the journal #33 out of 91 in the category International Relations.

One of the oldest peer reviewed journals in international conflict and security, CSP promotes theoretically-based research on policy problems of armed conflict, intervention and conflict resolution. Since it first appeared in 1980, CSP has established its unique place as a meeting ground for research at the nexus of theory and policy. Major fields of concern include:

• War and armed conflict
• Peacekeeping
• Conflict resolution
• Arms control and disarmament
• Defense policy
• Strategic culture
• International institutions

CSP is committed to a broad range of intellectual perspectives. Articles promote new analytical approaches, iconoclastic interpretations and previously overlooked perspectives. Its pages encourage novel contributions and outlooks, not particular methodologies or policy goals. Its geographical scope is worldwide and includes security challenges in Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Authors are encouraged to examine established priorities in innovative ways and to apply traditional methods to new problems.

Special Issue Information

Special issue proposals should contain (in one PDF document):

• A short discussion of the rationale and contribution of the special issue (3 pages max). Please also state why the topic falls within the aims and scope of the journal and why the proposal would be of interest to a large audience.
• Contact details, institutional affiliation, one paragraph biography of the special issue co-editors, and three recent publications of each of the co-editors. Feel free to include a link to the personal website of the co-editors. Do not submit full CVs.
• A list of confirmed articles and authors. Please include for each article (a) the title; (b) 150 word abstract; (c) a very short statement how the article contributes to the special issue and why it needs to be included; (d) a one paragraph author biography; and (e) three recent publications of the author(s).
• The current state of the special issue. Please describe the background (e.g. previous workshops and conferences) and the timeframe towards the submission deadline.

The special issue will consist of a substantive introduction and 6-7 articles. The introduction should stand on itself. It should serve as a state-of-the-art article and be a reference point for all the other articles in the special issue. It is recommended that special issue proposals include 9-10 articles. All articles will be sent by the journal for peer-review on an individual basis. It is unlikely that all articles will eventually make the cut.

Most articles in CSP are around 8,000-9,000 words (including notes and references). However, manuscripts up to 11,000 words are accepted, for example when they include multiple case studies or use mixed methods. Total word limits will be discussed in case of acceptance.

Please submit your application (one PDF file) to csp@nullmaastrichtuniversity.nl. The deadline for the special issue proposal is 15 November 2019. The decision will be announced soon afterwards. The decision by the editor is final. All articles, including the introduction, will have to be submitted by 15 March 2020.

Thrilled to announce that Contemporary Security Policy is now included in the Social Science Citation Index. Our first impact factor = 1.574, which ranks the journal #33 out of 91 in the category International Relations.

Hylke Dijktra, Editor of CSP, notes that “As we are publishing our 40th volume in 2019, this is a major recognition of four decades of scholarly work. I would like to thank all authors, reviewers and readers for the contributions they have made to the journal. This is a testament to their work.”

On this occasion with have made the most cited articles of 2016 and 2017 (those contributing to this year’s Impact Factor) available via Free Access:

#1: Wolfgang Wagner and Rosanne Anholt (2016) Resilience as the EU Global Strategy’s new leitmotif: pragmatic, problematic or promising?

#2: Maria Mälksoo (2016) From the ESS to the EU Global Strategy: external policy, internal purpose

#3: Nathalie Tocci (2016) The making of the EU Global Strategy

#4: Trine Flockhart (2016) The coming multi-order world

#5: Sven Biscop (2016) All or nothing? The EU Global Strategy and defence policy after the Brexit

#6: Mai’a Davis Cross (2016) The EU Global Strategy and diplomacy

#7: Magnus Lundgren (2016) Mediation in Syria: initiatives, strategies, and obstacles, 2011-2016

#8: Jeffrey Michaels and Heather Williams (2017) The nuclear education of Donald J. Trump

#9: Michael Carl Haas and Sophie-Charlotte Fischer (2017) The evolution of targeted killing practices: Autonomous weapons, future conflict, and the international order

#10: Florian Böller and Sebastian Werle (2016) Fencing the bear? Explaining US foreign policy towards Russian interventions

#11: Malte Brosig (2017) Rentier peacekeeping in neo-patrimonial systems: The examples of Burundi and Kenya

#12: Nadine Ansorg (2017) Security sector reform in Africa: Donor approaches versus local needs

Contemporary Security Policy is seeking proposals for a special issue to be published in 2020 (volume 41). The special issue should address a topic within the aims and scope of the journal.

One of the oldest peer reviewed journals in international conflict and security, CSP promotes theoretically-based research on policy problems of armed conflict, intervention and conflict resolution. Since it first appeared in 1980, CSP has established its unique place as a meeting ground for research at the nexus of theory and policy. Major fields of concern include:

• War and armed conflict
• Peacekeeping
• Conflict resolution
• Arms control and disarmament
• Defense policy
• Strategic culture
• International institutions

CSP is committed to a broad range of intellectual perspectives. Articles promote new analytical approaches, iconoclastic interpretations and previously overlooked perspectives. Its pages encourage novel contributions and outlooks, not particular methodologies or policy goals. Its geographical scope is worldwide and includes security challenges in Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Authors are encouraged to examine established priorities in innovative ways and to apply traditional methods to new problems.

Special Issue Information

Special issue proposals should contain (in one PDF document):

• A short discussion of the rationale and contribution of the special issue (3 pages max). Please also state why the topic falls within the aims and scope of the journal and why the proposal would be of interest to a large audience.
• Contact details, institutional affiliation, one paragraph biography of the special issue co-editors, and three recent publications of each of the co-editors. Feel free to include a link to the personal website of the co-editors. Do not submit full CVs.
• A list of confirmed articles and authors. Please include for each article (a) the title; (b) 150 word abstract; (c) a very short statement how the article contributes to the special issue and why it needs to be included; (d) a one paragraph author biography; and (e) three recent publications of the author(s).
• The current state of the special issue. Please describe the background (e.g. previous workshops and conferences) and the timeframe towards the submission deadline.

The special issue will consist of a substantive introduction and 6-7 articles. The introduction should stand on itself. It should serve as a state-of-the-art article and be a reference point for all the other articles in the special issue. It is recommended that special issue proposals include 9-10 articles. All articles will be sent by the journal for peer-review on an individual basis. It is unlikely that all articles will eventually make the cut.

Most articles in CSP are around 8,000-9,000 words (including notes and references). However, manuscripts up to 11,000 words are accepted, for example when they include multiple case studies or use mixed methods. Total word limits will be discussed in case of acceptance.

Please submit your application (one PDF file) to csp@nullmaastrichtuniversity.nl. The deadline for the special issue proposal is 15 December 2018. The decision will be announced soon afterwards. The decision by the editor is final. All articles, including the introduction, will have to be submitted by 15 April 2019.

The theme of the 2018 Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA)  is “The Power of Rules and Rule of Power”. Over the past five years, Contemporary Security Policy has published various articles that address questions of power, rules as well as their interaction. These articles are made freely available until the end of April.

Multi-order world

In her award-winning article, Trine Flockhart argues that power and rules vary across the different orders in the world. We can no longer speak of one set of powers or rules, but there are indeed multiple constellations of powers and rules.

Great powers versus local powers

A critical theme over the last two decades has also been the inability of international (great) powers to take on local powers and set the rule. David H. Ucko has analyzed local-level counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, whereas Birte Julia Gippert looks at the interaction between local and international power in Bosnia.

New arenas of contestation

The power of rules and the rule of power are also themes relevant in new arenas of contestation. Stephen Burgess and Janet Beilstein have studied China’s scramble for resources in southern Africa, whereas Conrad Rein examines how peace and security in Africa are strengthened through institutional cooperation. Cyber has also become a critical topic for CSP over the last five years. Ilai Saltzman analyses cyber posturing and the offense-defense balance, while Krzysztof Feliks Sliwinski discusses the difficulty of the EU to become an actor in the field of cyber.

Emerging powers and the Old Continent

Finally, where there are emerging powers, there are old powers. While other journals and magazines have paid considerable attention to the United States-China rivalry, authors in CSP have also considered the role of the Old Continent. Jolyon Howorth provides a sober overview of EU strategic thinking on the emerging powers. Niklas I.M. Nováky, in his CSP article, discusses why the EU has gone so soft on Russia in the case of Ukraine.

These nine articles provide a glimpse of the scholarship that CSP publishes on powers and rules. The collection of articles testifies to the prominence of this year’s ISA theme in security studies and the understanding of international relations more generally. CSP therefore welcomes future submissions on this theme.

 

Contemporary Security Policy has an active Editorial Board, which reflects its aims and scope and its worldwide audience. The membership of Editorial Board is updated on an annual basis to capture emerging research agendas and to give new colleagues the opportunity to contribute to the development of the journal. I have made a number of changes to the Editorial Board.

First of all, David Haglund has decided to step down. He has served on the Editorial Board since 2005 and has made valuable contributions to the journal through various articles on strategic culture in Europe and beyond. I want to thank him for his service. His expertise will be missed.

It is also time to welcome new colleagues. To reflect the development of the journal, I have invited six new colleagues to join the Editorial Board. These are highly qualified scholars, from a variety of countries, who bring along exciting new expertise. Many of them are from the new generation. All of them share a commitment to high quality publishing in peer-reviewed journals. They are also dedicated in terms of policy impact and outreach.

The new colleagues on the Editorial Board are:

• Alan Bloomfield (University of Western Australia, Australia)
• Linda Darkwa (Training for Peace Programme, Ethiopia & University of Ghana, Legon)
• Patrick A. Mello (University of Erfurt & Technical University of Munich, Germany)
• Andrea Schneiker (University of Siegen, Germany)
• Martin Senn (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
• Carmen Wunderlich (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany)

The Editorial Board will continue to be updated in the future.

Hylke Dijkstra
Editor-in-Chief

Contemporary Security Policy awards the Bernard Brodie Prize annually to the author(s) of an outstanding article published in the journal the previous year. The award is named after Dr. Bernard Brodie (1918-1978), author of The Absolute Weapon (1946), Strategy in the Missile Age (1958) and War and Strategy (1973). Brodie’s ideas remain at the center of security debates to this day. One of the first analysts to cross between official and academic environments, he pioneered the very model of civilian influence that Contemporary Security Policy represents. Contemporary Security Policy is honoured to acknowledge the permission of Brodie’s son, Dr. Bruce R. Brodie, to use his father’s name.

The 2018 Bernard Brodie Prize is exceptionally awarded to two winners:

• Betcy Jose, “Not completely the new normal: How Human Rights Watch tried to suppress the targeted killing norm”, August 2017 (access here).
• Martin Senn & Jodok Troy, “The transformation of targeted killing and international order”, August 2017 (access here).

This article was selected by a jury consisting of six members of the Editorial Board: Stephanie Hofmann, Aaron Karp, Maria Mälksoo, Derek McDougall, Rajesh Rajagopalan and Edward Rhodes. The jury selected the winner from a shortlist put together by the Editor-in-Chief Hylke Dijkstra. This shortlist also included:

• Stephan Frühling & Andrew O’Neil, “Nuclear weapons, the United States and alliances in Europe and Asia: Toward an institutional perspective”, April 2017 (access here).
• Betcy Jose, “Not completely the new normal: How Human Rights Watch tried to suppress the targeted killing norm”, August 2017  (access here).
• Daniel J. Milton, “Dangerous work: Terrorism against U.S. diplomats”, December 2017 (access here).
• Jaganath Sankaran & Bryan L. Fearey, “Missile defense and strategic stability: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea”, December 2017 (access here).
• Martin Senn & Jodok Troy, “The transformation of targeted killing and international order”, August 2017 (access here).

More on the Bernard Brodie Prize is available here.