Call for Papers Nº. 121

Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals nº. 121

Barcelona, January  2018

Timetable of the call:

March 2nd 2018: Submission deadline for abstracts (300 words) and a short professional and academic biography (100 words).

March 19th 2018: Authors are notified of the results of the selection process.

May 15th 2018: Submission deadline for completed articles (see instructions for authors).

 

All written correspondence should be sent to the CIDOB publications email address: publicaciones@cidob.org

Monograph coordinators: Sandra Borda, Dean of the Social Sciences Division at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Bogotá; Paula de Castro, Researcher, CIDOB; and Farid Samir Benavides, Lecturer at Universidad Ramón Llull Blanquerna (Barcelona).

Publication date: first issue of 2019 (April/May).

 

The signing of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) in 2016 was a watershed moment in the country's history. However, the signing of this peace agreement does not mean the conflict has ended in Colombia. The Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) and organised crime groups retain an active presence and are taking advantage of the gaps left on the ground by the state and the FARC-EP. This means that, while the country previously faced the challenge of signing the peace with the FARC-EP in the midst of war, today it faces forging peace in the midst of other conflicts.

In this crucial context, it is highly appropriate to dedicate an issue of Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals to the experience of the peace process in Colombia, which may allow lessons learned to be identified that prove useful and inspiring for other international conflicts and reflection to be made on the goals of post-conflict, with clear potential impact in the international sphere and in the study of conflict resolution.

In this regard, it is important to highlight some of the following factors in the peace negotiation: the method used; the role of the international community; limitations and opportunities in the application of international law; the debate on the application of transitional justice models; developments in the tripartite verification mechanisms; and, above all, the place of the victims in the process (a unique case in contemporary conflict resolution experiences to date). With regard to post-conflict, the factors and actors that may influence the implementation of a peace process could be identified, in particular: the processes of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR); security system reform; transitional justice models; the new security dynamics; the role of organised crime; and the social reconciliation processes.

Finally, it is important to emphasise that this proposal is meant to be an academic reflection on the theory and practice of conflict resolution. In this sense, contributions will be welcomed of original work – empirical, comparative or theoretical and with a critical approach – on the Colombian experience, such as proposing lessons learned that are adaptable to other international conflicts. In particular, to conflicts characterised by their entrenched nature, whose transformation and multiplicity of actors complicate the negotiation processes and the end of the conflict.

Possible subjects:

1. Transformations of the armed conflict: actors and dynamics that increase complexity.
2. The negotiation: methodologies and the Colombian experience (the role of the victims and tripartite monitoring mechanisms as new developments in the Colombian negotiation process).
3. Negotiation with armed groups and the submission of criminal organisations. Who is and is not an actor in terms of international legislation?
4. Impunity and the rule of law: What concessions should be made for peace? (Example: debates on transitional justice models and their implications).
5. Role of the international community in conflict resolution: New types of mediation? What works and what does not?
6. Post-conflict challenges: the volatility of implementing the peace.
7. Security sector reform in post-conflict and other violent periods (drugs trafficking and organised crime). Comparison and the case of Colombia as an example.

Abstracts will be accepted in English and Spanish.

The magazine's editorial board – coordinated for this issue by Sandra Borda, Paula de Castro and Farid Samir Benavides – shall be responsible for the final selection of the articles to be published in the first issue of 2019 (April/May 2019).

 

Created in 1982, Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals is a scientific publication on international relations that publishes original work. Each issue is a monograph, coordinated by an expert, which provides in-depth analysis of an aspect of the international state of affairs from a multi- and trans-disciplinary perspective. The articles undergo an external double-blind peer review process and are indexed and summarised in the main academic social sciences databases, such as Scopus Latindex and ESCI in the Web of Science. The publication is aimed at the academic community and the interested public in general. It is published in print and digital versions.