Possibility of Peace in the Age of the Return of Geopolitics

Dear Colleagues,

In the midst of today’s global turmoil, the “return of geopolitics” has become a frequent theme. Such references are often made, lamenting the decline of the “liberal international order.” Yet this order itself has faced strong criticism for its lack of respect for local ownership, and even its “neo-colonial” character. If the West-led liberal international order is indeed in decline because of its neo-colonial nature, then perhaps its demise is not necessarily to be regretted. This does not mean, however, that we should welcome the “return of geopolitics.” Still, if that is the prevailing reality of the contemporary world, we must seek to develop new visions of peace that are grounded in this recognition—whether we view it positively or negatively.

This Special Issue invites contributions that explore the possibility of peace in the 21st century through the lens of the “return of geopolitics.” Myriad approaches are welcome, provided they offer perspectives rooted in geopolitical realities. Papers may, for example, examine the implications of geopolitical theories for developing new frameworks of peace, engage in constructive discussions on geopolitical conditions in order to envision pathways to peace, or critically assess the limitations of anti-geopolitical discourses such as “liberal peacebuilding theory” to generate more realistic projections for sustainable peace.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Hideaki Shinoda
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Peace Studies is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• geopolitics
• liberal international order
• neo-colonialism
• peacebuilding
• liberal peace theory
• global order
• sustainable peace
• geopolitical theories
• international relations
• 21st-century peace