In the past four decades, China has unleashed remarkable growth and development, transforming from one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the wealthiest and lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty along the way. The emergence of China as a leader of the global economy will continue to shape our world in profound ways for decades to come. One such impact is the Belt and Road Initiative, a multi-trillion-dollar international development plan that involves the financing and construction of various types of infrastructure. The BRI has already begun to assist other countries of the Global South in lifting themselves out of poverty, while transforming infrastructure, relationships, and ways of life. However, the impact of China’s BRI on Global South countries is not exclusively positive and involves potential drawbacks. Drawbacks in terms of sovereignty, in terms of the environment, and in terms of certain societal groups who may be adversely impacted. Additionally, there is a concern that China’s broadening economic footprint may encourage greater military expansionism, heightening the risk of international conflict. The topic of China’s growing engagement in the Global South continues to attract attention from a diverse array of stakeholders including commercial interests, policymakers, NGOs, and scholars. It is also a thematic that traverses the boundaries of academic disciplines, involving questions of economics, politics, development, history, culture, society, the environment, and much more. This special issue of The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development invites submissions from scholars and practitioners who aspire to advance our collective understanding of what China’s Belt and Road Initiative means for countries of the Global South.
The Journal of International Relations, Peace and Development Studies is a publication by Arcadia University and the American Graduate School in Paris. The journal publishes peer-reviewed, internationally focused academic research that is objective, critical and innovative in its analysis of issues in international relations, development, peace, political economy, society, culture, diplomacy, and interdisciplinary methods.
Please submit documents in accordance with the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Submissions that do not follow the Chicago Manual of Style risk immediate rejection. In addition, all reproduction of images, graphs, etc. that are not the property of the author must be cleared by the copyright holder before submission. All article submissions should be between 5,000 to 10,000 words, excluding notes and works cited.
Submission Instructions
Please email manuscript submissions to Matthew Rochat, Guest Editor, Department of Political Science at the University of California Santa Barbara (mjrochat@ucsb.edu); and Patrick Clarzier, Journal Editor, American Graduate School in Paris (journal@ags.edu) with the subject heading: “JIRPSD – Special Issue Submission” by August 1, 2023.
The guest editor is responsible for ensuring the quality and collective coherence of the manuscripts in the special issue, and the authors' adherence to the journal's submission guidelines. All articles selected from the pool of articles by the guest editor will be submitted for peer review. If your article is selected for this special issue, you will be notified by the editor. Excellent manuscripts may not be included due to issues of fit, scope, and space. If your paper is not selected for the special issue, it may still be considered for publication in the Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development.