POLIscope Institute, in partnership with The Security Distillery, are officially accepting abstract submissions for our upcoming Biannual Special Issue, focusing on the theme: Power and Contestation in Global Peace and Security.

We are inviting students, recent graduates, and early-career researchers to contribute to this vital conversation. If you are passionate about international relations, international law, or security studies, we want to hear from you.

Background

The post-1945 rules-based international order is currently undergoing a profound structural transformation, characterised by shifting away from traditional liberal institutionalism toward a deeply contested paradigm characterised as ‘crisis-driven multipolarity’. The decentralisation of global power has not yielded a stable equilibrium, but has instead exacerbated institutional fragmentation and geopolitical polarisation. This trajectory has culminated in what is now defined as an era ‘under destruction’ where great power competition and transactional ‘wrecking-ball politics’ actively dismantle existing multilateral governance structures. These multilateral institutions, once the primary mechanisms for coordinating global peace and security, are increasingly facing deadlocks driven by great power competition, exposing their severe institutional response limitations. 

For some, these shifts create space to contest historically entrenched hierarchies and advance alternative claims to authority and agency within the international system. From an international law perspective, this is not only characterised by instances of non-compliance, but also by contestations over the interpretation and application of existing legal norms, and the legislative production of new ones. This era of transformation is thus characterised by the dismantling of established multilateral governance and the multiplication of competing authority structures and alternative frameworks across a changing multipolar order. In parallel, emerging powers and alternative multilateral groupings are advancing alternative legal interpretations and normative frameworks that seek to challenge the normative dominance of existing multilateral institutions.

Against this backdrop, contestation emerges as a defining feature of contemporary global peace and security, raising critical questions about the nature, exercise, and regulation of power within an increasingly plural and dynamic international system. The POLIscope Institute and Security Distillery invite contributions that critically engage with the theme of “Power and Contestation in Global Peace and Security.” It seeks to examine how evolving configurations of power shape, disrupt, and reconstitute norms, institutions, and practices of global security, and to explore the implications for the future of international law, governance, and multilateral cooperation.

Scope of the Special Issue

Submissions are invited from students, recent graduates, and early-career researchers in international law, international relations, security studies, and related disciplines. Submissions should engage with the overarching theme “Power and Contestation in Global Peace and Security”. Contributions may address theoretical, legal, or empirical dimensions of power and its role in shaping security outcomes. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:

• Great power competition and its implications for regional and global stability, including shifting alliances and spheres of influence

• The role of non-state actors, such as armed groups, corporations, and international organisations, in shaping security and conflict dynamics

• Inequality, resource distribution, and structural imbalances as drivers of conflict and instability

• Security implications of transformations in the global order, including multipolarity and institutional fragmentation

• Intersections between international law, governance frameworks, and security practices

• The effectiveness and limitations of institutional responses to contested security environments

• Strategic rivalry in emerging domains, including cyber, space, and maritime security

Interdisciplinary contributions are encouraged.

How to Apply & Key Deadlines

Submitting to the POLIscope and Security Distillery Special Issue is a two-phase process.

Phase 1: Abstract Submission

• Deadline: 30 June 2026

• Requirements: Prepare a 250–300 word abstract outlining your research question, main argument, a brief methodology, and its relevance to the theme.

• Submission Method: All submissions are processed through our online portal. You can access it by clicking the button below.