Special Issue: Peaceful Change, Democracy, and Power in the Global South: Comparative Perspectives from Latin America

2026-09-04

CALL FOR PAPERS

Revista Andina de Estudios Políticos (RAEP)

Número 16, Vol. 2 (2026)

Special Issue: Peaceful Change, Democracy, and Power in the Global South: Comparative Perspectives from Latin America and Beyond.

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Coordinators:

Anthony R. Medina Rivas Plata, Instituto de Estudios Políticos Andinos, Peru

Cynthia McClintock, George Washington University, United States

Alejandro Simonoff, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

Diego A. Salazar Morales, Leiden University, The Netherlands

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  1. Description

The Revista Andina de Estudios Políticos (RAEP) announces a call for original articles to be included in Volume 16, Issue 2 (2026), scheduled for publication on December 30th, 2026. This special issue seeks to provide a forum for critical and pluralistic reflection on peaceful change in International Relations while addressing the challenges facing democracy in Latin America. It will consider both recent developments in the region and long-term historical processes in other parts of the world. Against an international backdrop marked by hegemonic transitions, polarization, democratic crises, distributive conflicts, and growing contestation of the global order, we invite analyses of how states and societies manage profound transformations without resorting to violence, as well as the conditions that enable, constrain, or reverse such processes.

We welcome theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions concerning Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania, with particular interest in comparative studies across countries or regions. Articles may address democratic transitions, changes of government, institutional reforms, negotiations between elites and social movements, transitional justice, conflict prevention, regional integration, foreign policy, South–South cooperation, resource disputes, transformations of the economic order, and responses to the rise or decline of major powers.

This special issue seeks to move beyond approaches that equate peaceful change with the mere absence of war or democracy with the holding of elections. We are particularly interested in understanding how authority, material capabilities, recognition, and access to decision-making are redistributed; which actors promote or obstruct these transformations; and the extent to which experiences from Global South challenge theories developed primarily in the Global North.

We particularly welcome papers featuring rigorous comparative research designs, interdisciplinary dialogue, and the use of original sources. This call aims to bring together diverse perspectives capable of explaining the possibilities, tensions, and limits of peaceful change in democracies characterized by profound power asymmetries, drawing on critical, pluralistic, and situated approaches.

  1. Objectives
  • Advance comparative dialogue between International Relations and Comparative Politics by integrating debates on peaceful change, status-seeking, and democratization within the context of the Global South.
  • Highlight the agency of Global South actors in shaping international order, demonstrating how states and societies in Latin America, South Asia, and Africa are not passive recipients of great power politics but active norm-builders and strategic innovators.
  • Examine the role of institutions, like electoral systems, constitutional frameworks, and regional organizations, in mediating external pressures and promoting democratic resilience under conditions of asymmetry.
  • Foster cross-regional comparisons that identify convergences and divergences in strategies of soft balancing, peaceful change, and democratic adaptation, with special attention to parallels between Latin America and South Asia.
  • Contribute to the pluralization of global political science by embedding Global South perspectives into mainstream debates, thereby challenging Eurocentric frameworks and offering alternative pathways toward peace, democracy, and cooperative international order.
  1. Themes and Specific Topics

Soft Balancing and Peaceful Change

  • Comparative analysis of soft balancing strategies in Latin America, South Asia, and Africa.
  • Middle powers’ responses to U.S. and China in the 21st century.
  • Institutional soft balancing: the role of the UN, OAS, and regional courts.
  • Norms of restraint in the use of force and weapons of mass destruction.

Democracy, Institutions, and Resilience

  • The impact of electoral systems (runoff vs. plurality) on democratic consolidation in the Global South.
  • Presidentialism, parliamentarism, and hybrid regimes: comparative lessons.
  • Party system fragmentation and governance in Latin America and South Asia.
  • Democratic backsliding and institutional safeguards in fragile democracies.

Rising Powers and Status-Seeking

  • India, Brazil, and South Africa as status-seeking powers: strategies and limits.
  • Regional leadership ambitions: Mexico in North America, India in South Asia, Brazil in South America.
  • Global South participation in multilateral forums (BRICS, G20, NAM).
  • Status, recognition, and symbolic diplomacy in international politics.

Asymmetry and Security Relations

  • S.–Latin America security relations: continuity and change.
  • China’s growing influence in the Andean region and Africa.
  • Asymmetric conflicts: lessons from South Asia and Latin America.
  • Small states’ survival strategies in asymmetric regional orders.

Regional Cooperation and Organizations

  • Comparative evaluation of SAARC, UNASUR, CELAC, and the African Union.
  • The role of regionalism in mitigating great power rivalry.
  • Institutional decline and revival: UNASUR vs. ASEAN.
  • Regional organizations as platforms for norm entrepreneurship.

Norm-Building and Restraint

  • The Treaty of Tlatelolco and Latin America’s nuclear-free zone in global perspective.
  • The tradition of non-use of nuclear weapons: comparative experiences.
  • Human rights norms and transitional justice in Global South contexts.
  • Peace-building practices in post-conflict societies: Colombia, Nepal, El Salvador.

Domestic–International Nexus

  • How democratization shapes foreign policy orientations in the Global South.
  • Extractive industries, resource politics, and international bargaining (Peru, Bolivia, Nigeria).
  • Authoritarianism and international alignment: Venezuela, Myanmar, Iran.
  • Domestic political crises and their impact on regional security dynamics.
  1. Target Audience

This issue is addressed to a broad academic and professional community interested in the analysis of international relations and comparative politics in Peru and Latin America. We invite:

  • Established researchers with a trajectory in the study of institutions, public policies, and transnational processes.
  • Early-career academics and doctoral students interested in presenting their research progress and receiving peer feedback.
  • Professionals from international organizations, state agencies, NGOs, and think tanks who can contribute applied perspectives.
  • Researchers working on interdisciplinary topics from Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Sociology, History, Law, Anthropology, Environmental Studies, and Critical Humanities.

The goal is to foster a space of methodological and theoretical pluralism, as well as an intergenerational and inclusive community that reflects the diversity of approaches present in the Andean and Latin American region.

  1. Guidelines for Authors

Types of manuscripts:

  • Original research articles.
  • Academic essays.
  • Book reviews of works published within the last three years.

Length and format:

  • Articles: 9,000–10,000 words including notes and references.
  • Essays: 4,000–6,000 words.
  • Reviews: up to 1,500 words.
  • Times New Roman 11 pt font, 1.5 line spacing, 3 cm margins, 1.25 cm paragraph indentation (beginning with the second paragraph of each section), page numbering from the first page, lower right corner.
  • All manuscripts must follow the Chicago 17th edition citation style.

Languages:

  • Submissions are accepted in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
  1. Review process:
  • All articles will undergo double-blind peer review.
  • The Editorial Committee will ensure a transparent, rigorous, and confidential process.
  1. Submission:
  • Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the journal’s OJS platform. Submissions by email will not be accepted.
  1. Timeline
  • Call for Papers announcement: September 4th, 2026
  • Deadline for full article submissions: October 30th, 2026
  • Peer review process: October 2026
  • Notification of acceptance and reviewer comments: October 30th, 2026
  • Submission of final revised versions: November, 30th 2026
  • Publication of Issue 16, Vol. 2: December 30th, 2026