Call for Papers
Spring 2010

Deadline for Submission: March 31, 2010

Human Security

Living in today’s complicated world can lead to many different kinds of difficulties that threaten the security and well-being of individuals.

The Human Security Centre describes human security as follows:

[H]uman security is a relatively new concept, but one that is now widely used to describe the complex of interrelated threats associated with civil war, genocide and the displacement of populations.

The distinction between human security and national security is an important one.  While national security focuses on the defence of the state from external attack, human security is about protecting individuals and communities from any form of political or criminal violence.

Human security and national security should be—and often are—mutually reinforcing. But secure states do not automatically mean secure peoples. Protecting citizens from foreign attack may be a necessary condition for the security of individuals, but it is not a sufficient one.1

Of course, human insecurity can also be caused by less obvious threats, including some that did not exist merely a decade ago — the imminent rise of sea levels due to global warming and the socio-economic threats to food security are issues where an immediate solution is desperately needed, but which only cooperation on a global level can resolve.

With this in mind, Perspectives on Global Issues is calling for contributors to the Spring 2010 issue to examine both the existing threats to human security in the global arena, as well as the role of international organizations, state governments, and civil society in the promotion of human security. Writers may wish to explore questions such as:

  • What are the root causes of global migration flows and trends?
  • What are the downstream effects of civil conflict?
  • How will racial/ethnic tensions be addressed in light of shifting populations and economic opportunities?
  • How is human security undermined by corruption and crime, and how can these problems be addressed?
  • How do human security and development interact with one another?
  • To what extent does international law protect victims of trafficking in persons? What issues still remain controversial?

These are just a few examples of questions we are interested in in addressing in our upcoming issue. We welcome and encourage the submission of research papers and commentaries that reveals the many aspects of the issue of Human Security. Finally, we thank MSGA Alumna Justyna Surowiec for suggesting this contemporary and salient topic as the answer to the question “What is the most important issue in global affairs today?” posed to the MSGA community last Fall.

Structure of Each Issue

Each publication of PGI will incorporate five categories: Research and Analysis Essays, Book Reviews, Interviews, Letters to the Editor and Opinions. Published works in all five categories cover a wide range of topics relating to global affairs.

Within the research and analysis category, a particular theme will set the tone for each issue, although the approach taken to the theme is for the author to decide. Policy analysis and recommendation, country research, theory application or comparative case studies are some examples of the approach that can be taken.

For the book review section of PGI, we are seeking reviews of recently published works of nonfiction that are pertinent to the field of global affairs and contribute to the ongoing dialogue within the global arena.

Opinion pieces and letters to the editor are readers’ responses to a piece within the Research and Analysis section. Such pieces relating to a particular issue of PGI will be published in the subsequent issue.

In an effort to diversify viewpoints and content, we encourage submissions from a variety of sources—including scholars, practitioners and students who are active in the area of Global Affairs.

Submission Guidelines:

The following guidelines should be adhered to for all submissions to PGI. Please contact the PGI editorial staff at pgi.editorial@gmail.com should you have any questions regarding these guidelines.

Please provide the following information with all submissions:

Full name of author(s)
Mailing address
Email address of author(s)
Telephone numbers of author(s)
Degree(s) received or in progress
Affiliations
Brief author profile(s), maximum 150 words

Research and Analysis Essay submissions:

  • Submit in electronic format, preferably MS Word
  • Maximum length: 3000 words
  • Citation of sources should follow the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing in endnotes and bibliography. For more information on MLA style please visit: http://library.nyu.edu/tools/styleguide/index.html
  • Please include a brief abstract of your article.

Book Review Submissions

  • Submit in electronic format, preferably MS Word
  • Maximum length: 1000 words
  • Reviews should be limited to works published within the last twelve months.
  • Please cite sources where applicable.

Submitting your manuscript:

Please send all submissions as an attachment to an email message to the attention of the PGI editorial staff at pgi.editorial@gmail.com.

Editing Submissions:

The PGI editing team reserves the right to edit submissions to the journal, but will refrain from editing the structure or content of the submission without first notifying the author.