From Deep Sea to Deep Space, New Frontiers in Resource Diplomacy.
Call for Papers / Volume 4, no. 1 (April 2018)

Global Politics Review (GPR) is a peer-reviewed Open Access journal of International Studies published by the Association for Research, Innovation and Social Science (ARISS). The Journal, founded in 2015, is published twice a year in October and April. GPR features high-quality research papers, interviews, and essays that survey new contributions to the fields of international relations, international security, and international development. GPR welcomes submissions from graduate students and scholars at all stages of their careers. Authors wishing to appear in the April 2018 issue must submit their paper for consideration by February 4, 2018 (extended deadline). They can submit papers of up to 8000 words, essays up to 4000 words and reviews no longer than 2000 words.

The theme for the April 2018 issue is “Resource Diplomacy.” Demand for non-renewable natural resources is escalating rapidly, and yet the supply of such resources has either peaked or declined. The adaptation and adjustment required of state actors to respond to the shrinking pool of resources has led to intensified competition between them, making resource diplomacy an increasingly critical platform for policymakers to orient their political, economic, and strategic positions in foreign policy.

Resource competition and energy security have shaped the agenda of many countries over the past year. OPEC members have ached during a period of low oil prices and only recently agreed to cull the global oil glut to increase their global standing. Qatar, a gas producing state, found itself thriving among its oil-producing neighbors just to be isolated by a Saudi led embargo. Russia has used its gas as a bargaining chip with European countries to secure foreign policy goals. China, now a leader in the renewable energy market, has integrated its energy policy with ODA and the One Belt One Road Initiative. The U.S.A., thanks to the shale revolution, has started experimenting with new vectors of foreign policies once thought unthinkable.

Meanwhile, while foreign bureaus across the globe are competing to secure what’s left for us on the earth, there is a market-led revolution in the energy industry, with companies exploring new frontiers in resource extraction in Antarctica, deep sea, and deep space. In this disruptive scenario, nation-states have tried to gain a comparative advantage among each other by attracting new companies and start-ups with lax environmental regulations or incentives. In this context, new questions are arising about the right to exploit resources from celestial bodies, international waters, the Arctic, and the Antarctic. For instance, amid an increasing commercialization of space programs, the U.S.A has updated in 2015 the SPACE (Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship) Act granting its citizens the right to engage in resource extraction from space.

In this issue of our Journal, we want to explore how state and non-state actors manage resources on the planet and beyond, and what mechanisms, as well as legal and political measures, need to be taken to ensure peaceful and sustainable extraction and distribution of resources. To submit your manuscript and read more about our submission guidelines, visit: http://www.globalpoliticsreview.com/submissions/.

GPR accepts submissions outside of the issue theme. These submissions will be selected on the basis of originality, argumentation, and prose.