CALL FOR PAPERS

PEACE PROCESSES AND HUMAN DIGNITY - ON-LINE REVIEW OF LAW AND POLITICS

The Editors-in-Chief of the Online Review of Law and Politics “Peace Processes and Human Dignity” invite submissions for the  issues of 2017 and 2018.. 

The Review

The Review on Peace Processes and Human Dignity is published three times per year by Editrice Il Sirente (www.sirente.it). 

With the expression “peace processes” reference is made to the full range of internal and international processes, mechanisms, tools, informal initiatives and actions aiming at the prevention (including through addressing their root causes), management and/or resolution of armed conflicts or situations of tension, crisis or destabilization, the restoration and maintenance of peace after a conflict has arisen, the achievement of reconciliation and related goals. Such means, however, have not always been adequate from the point of view of pursuing peace, an ambitious goal in its own merit, while fully respecting human dignity. The practice of States and International Organizations has shown that, at times, human rights have been sacrificed to the achievement of short-term stabilization.

The Review on Peace Processes and Human Dignity, however, starts from the premise that human rights and peace are two, strictly intertwined, fundamental values. This journal aims to focus particularly on the basic question of how to respect human dignity along the path towards a lasting peace, its founders being convinced that effective pacification, stabilization and national reconciliation are not possible in disregard of the rights of the victims and communities affected by armed violence and human rights’ violations. Similarly, the rights of individuals implicated in or by armed conflict must be fulfilled, whether before national or international jurisdictions, special jurisdictions created ad hoc by agreements stipulated in the context of a peace process or by international organizations. At the same time, access to justice can be assured by judicial and para-judicial mechanisms, while political and institutional reforms, backed by adequate administrative procedures, may reinforce them. 

Topics of interest

The editors are seeking for contributions to the Review offering analytical assessments of ongoing or prospective peace process, including studies on the tools of transitional systems with a comparative approach, in light of international norms, principles and non-binding standards. From security sector reforms to post-conflict peace-building schemes, the Review strives to engage with experts to evaluate to strengths and weakness of domestic and international mechanisms to bring about peace under the Rule of Law, or “peace through the law”.

Editors are also interested to receive brief essays/articles aimed at analyzing the relationships between different kinds of peace processes tools, with the goal to explore which ones could be the most effective taking into consideration the specific situation of the country(ies) involved in a specific process. In this context, topics like the appropriateness, legality and legitimacy of the use of force for humanitarian purposes may be addressed within the backdrop of peace processes and human dignity. 
The Review also welcomes the important contributions that all actors engaged in peace processes may bring to the public arena, including civil society organizations and other non-State actors. 

These are only few of the many questions and areas of engagement that the Editors-in-Chief and the Editorial Board would welcome contributions on.

Submission of contributions

With a view to allowing for a broad-spectrum and comprehensive methodological approach, this Review strives to offer a forum for an analysis and discussion based on a multidisciplinary approach: political, social, legal. Complexity distinguishes many crises and their possible resolution. A multi-focused analytical approach could offer sufficient grounds for reflection on possible ways out, and represents the singular added value of our initiative. 
Contributions are therefore welcome from academicians, practitioners and experts from governments, international organizations, civil society and other relevant fields.

Contributions will be accepted in English, French, Spanish and Italian. Non-native speakers are strongly encouraged to have their paper read by a native speaker. 

Contributions can be in the form of:

- General articles: i.e. submissions on the above-mentioned topics with a methodological and in-depth analysis of the issues considered. Submissions should be preferably between 5,000-10,000 words;

- Notes on State Practice and Recent Developments: i.e. shorter, more factual, submissions on a wide range of recent developments relevant to the above-mentioned topics. Submissions should be between 3,000-5,000 words;

- Book Reviews: each issue of the Journal aims to review books on relevant topics. Submissions should be between 2,000-3,000 words.

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the following general editorial  guidelines: 

- They should be written in Garamond, size 12, single space between lines;- Pages should be numbered consecutively;

- Notes should be listed consecutively at the end of the article (endnotes);

- They should be submitted in Word format (.doc). PDF files will not be accepted;

- Authors should attach their brief summary of the curriculum vitae (CV), which should consist of a single one paragraph-text of 100-120 words in length, each;

- An abstract should be included that briefly describes the content of the contribution: abstracts should be approximately 200 words in length

- FOR ENGLISH CONTRIBUTIONS: Citations and footnotes should be written in line with the indications contained in the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities: www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/oscola_4th_edn_hart_2012.pdf.

The Journal will considers contributions on the condition that they have not been submitted elsewhere, that they have not been published already, nor are they under consideration for publication or in press elsewhere. Special exceptions to this policy may be agreed upon with the Board of Directors.Contributions must report original research and will be subjected to review by referees at the discretion of the Editorial Board. 

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject manuscripts if the level of chosen language is insufficient, and if they are not suitable for the Review, e.g. because of inadequate or imprecise analytical development, inconsistent formatting or non-compliance with our submission guidelines, and poor writing style (this list is not exhaustive). 

All submissions should be sent to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The deadline for submissions: 30 September 2017, 30 December 2017, 31 March, 2918, 30 June 2018, 30 September 2018.

Copyright 

 “All content published by the Review, except where identified, is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-type BY-NC. This will ensure the widest dissemination and protection against copyright infringement of articles. The “article” is defined as comprising the final, definitive, and citable Version of Scholarly Record, and includes: (a) the accepted manuscript in its final and revised form, including the text, abstract, and all accompanying tables, illustrations, data; and (b) any supplemental material. As an author, you are required to secure permission to reproduce any proprietary text, illustration, table, or other material, including data, audio, video, and screenshots, and any supplemental material you propose to submit. This applies to direct reproduction as well as “derivative reproduction” (where you have created a new figure or table that derives substantially from a copyrighted source). The reproduction of short extracts of text for the purposes of criticism may be possible without formal permission on the basis that the quotation is reproduced accurately and full attribution is given.