Category: Editorial communication

Dr Hylke Dijkstra has recently been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Security Policy. For the occasion of the conference of the International Studies Association (ISA) in Atalanta in March 2016, he has selected his favorite articles, which will be available through Free Access until the end of March.

“One of the oldest peer reviewed journals in international conflict and security, Contemporary Security Policy promotes theoretically-based research on policy problems of armed violence, intervention and conflict resolution. It is about to publish its 37th volume, which makes it a slightly daunting exercise to select the top-10 out of the hundreds of published articles.

We live in an age where our academic work gets ranked all the time. Contemporary Security Policy, for example, awards the annual The Bernard Brodie Prize for the best article of the previous year. There are also statistics on the most-read and most-cited articles of the journal. In many ways such rankings are much more authoritative than my own personal selection could ever be. These rankings are, however, also about past successes.

Rather than looking for the best possible articles in the archive, I have selected 10 articles on the basis one sole criterium. I have selected the type of articles that I would love to see back in future issues of Contemporary Security Policy. These articles address key contemporary challenges. Not only in the US or Europe, but worldwide. They are relevant and accessible for a large audience. They make academic and policy contributions. And they challenge conventional wisdom.”

Hylke Dijkstra is the new Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Security Policy. Please access his favorite articles here.

Following my appointment as the Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Security Policy, I have made a number of changes to the Editorial Board.

First of all, Stuart Croft will step down from the Board. He was the co-editor of Contemporary Security Policy from 1991-2004 and has served on the Editorial Board ever since. He is now taking up the position of Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick. While this is naturally a great loss for the journal, I would like to thank him for his tremendous contribution to the journal and to wish him all the best in his new position.

It is also time to welcome new colleagues. To guarantee the continuity of the journal, I have asked the outgoing editors Aaron and Regina Karp to continue to serve on the Editorial Board. They have kindly agreed. This will not only prove helpful during the transition. I am glad that their insight will remain available for the journal. Furthermore, to reflect the development of the journal in terms of its aims and scope, I have invited eight 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:

• Malte Brosig (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa)
• Toni Haastrup (University of Kent, UK)
• John Karlsrud (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Norway)
• Aaron Karp (Old Dominion University, US)
• Regina Karp (Old Dominion University, US)
• Sarah Kreps (Cornell University, US)
• Nicola Leveringhaus (University of Sheffield, UK)
• Maria Mälksoo (University of Tartu, Estonia)
• Annemarie Peen Rodt (Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark)
• Michael E. Smith (University of Aberdeen, UK)

The Editorial Board will continue to be updated in the future to reflect the aims and scope of the journal as well as developments in the academic discipline.

Hylke Dijkstra

Dr. Hylke Dijkstra has been appointed as the new editor-in-chief of Contemporary Security Policy published by Taylor and Francis. This academic journal promotes theoretically-based research on policy problems of armed violence, peace building and conflict resolution. The aim is to bring academics and policy-makers closer together by addressing the key security challenges of the day.

One of the oldest peer-reviewed journals in international conflict and security, Contemporary Security Policy is positioned at the nexus of proof and policy. Since it first appeared in 1980, the journal has established a unique place in the international relations discipline by bridging the gap between academic and policy approaches. It offers policy analysts an outlet to pursue fundamental issues and academic writers a venue for addressing policy.

Hylke Dijkstra states that “Contemporary Security Policy is a renowned journal in international security. It is about to publish its 37^th volume. Among its authors have been world-leading scholars such as Kenneth Waltz, Barry Buzan and Ernst B. Haas. Having been entrusted with the leadership of this journal is a major honour as well as responsibility. The two outgoing editors, Aaron and Regina Karp, have made a significant effort in improving the quality of the journal. I would like to thank them and I hope to continue their good work in the direction they have set out.”

Contemporary Security Policy has included articles on topics of arms control, strategic culture, NATO and EU security. Hylke Dijkstra notes that “this focus is certainly something that will be continued. However, the scope of the journal will be expanded to include contemporary security challenges worldwide. I expect the journal to also publish quality articles on, for example, the ongoing threat of ISIL, peacekeeping in Africa and the territorial disputes in the South and East China seas.”

Hylke Dijkstra is an Assistant Professor (with tenure) at the Department of Political Science of Maastricht University, The Netherlands. He has widely published on how international organisations address contemporary security challenges. He is the author of “International Organizations and Military Affairs” (Routledge, 2016) and “Policy-Making in EU Security and Defense” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).