Call for Papers – Shifting Powers

Call for Papers – Shifting Powers

Are you thinking of International Politics as an incredibly fascinating field? In case you do, we are sharing a passion! Now it’s your chance to bring your enthusiasm and interest for International Affairs to the stage while you connect with other students and professionals from the field. IFAIR has launched a new contest entitled “Shifting powers – Chances, challenges and risks of changed power structures.” Taking part in this contest gives you the great opportunity to make an important step towards the accomplishment of your goals. The winner of our contest is awarded Fletcher School Professor Daniel Drezner’s book Theories of International Politics and Zombies, published by Princeton University Press, as well as free entrance to our upcoming capacity building Workshop in Berlin.

Interested? Then don’t miss our deadline on December, 15th 2011 to send in your essay/paper to Hanna.Peifer@ifair.eu. Not only will your article be featured and published on our website, but we’ll provide you with the status of a permanent writer.

Shifting powers – Opportunities, challenges and risks brought forth by changed power structures

The new millennium seems to have marked the beginning of a multipolar world order. Economic crises inflict considerable harm on established powers: the US wrestles with its budget deficit, while the European powers try to save their single currency. The international weight of these countries’ voices seems to decline – and with it the trust in the Western world as a reference and model for global social and cultural progress.

Meanwhile, many Asian and South American states have been much less affected by the economic woes and have gained new room for influence on the regional and global level. At the same time the Arab World experiences profound change. Dictators have been chased out of office – but what the future holds for the countries in question seems unclear at the moment.

In the light of these events and developments we ask ourselves which opportunities or risks arise due to these changes in the international political landscape. Is the decline of the US inevitable? What is the future of the Eurozone? Will the Arab Spring indeed bring greater freedom and democracy to the region – and which role will Turkey and Israel play in the developments we are witnessing? Is the west’s distrust of China – with its many new means of global influence – justified? What are the real perspectives for the BRICS group of nations?

We are looking for the best essay or article, for the most original case study or policy recommendation. Your work will relate to the questions raised above or specifically address any given aspect of the “shifting powers” concept. The topic may be dealt with through any perspective and by any discipline that assumes relevance. Writings may include intriguing questions with regards to the “new global fabric” as much as elaborate answers to difficult questions. The maximum word count for your paper will be 1500. Important information on all aspects of format can be found in our manual on criteria for contributions.
The only valid criterion for our evaluation of articles is quality in terms of substance and linguistic stringency. Length, in turn, does not necessarily matter. We believe that a short, pointed and provocative article does not need to take second place to a comprehensive analysis.

Take the open door to IFAIR

IFAIR holds that it is in particular students who, still free of compromising interests and predispositions, are bursting of ideas and creativity. Moreover, they carry a great deal of enthusiasm for their fields of study. In the face of this, it is sad to see a lot of first class university papers merely being stowed in shelves. Part of IFAIR’s mission is to make better use of student expertise and to connect students of international affairs among each other and with the professional world. You can learn how we do this in practice by visiting [About IFAIR].

IFAIR – encouraging debate and continuous training, approving interdisciplinarity and networks – foreign policy applied, together with and for students.

IFAIR

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