Source: Peace and Collaborative Development Network

The A38 Journal of International Law (ISSN pending) is a quarterly academic journal, published online, that seeks to provide an international forum for the publication of articles in the field of International Law. The Journal is currently soliciting submissions for Volume I, Issue 2, which will be published July 2012. The submission deadline for Issue 2 is May 31, 2012. We welcome submissions from academicians, practitioners, students, researchers and experts from within the legal community. We have a strong preference for articles that are not descriptive, but that instead assert and defend a well-reasoned position.

Issue 2 will be devoted to the concept of “The Use of Force” in International Law. We invite analytical pieces relating, though not limited to the following issues:

-          If the prohibition on the use of force is a norm of jus cogens, why is it flouted all the time?

-          Can economic blockades and coercion be “force” under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter?

-          Can cyber attacks be construed as an act of use of force under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter?

-          Is the thin red line between an armed attack and armed conflict fast dissolving?

-          Is belligerent use of military force an aggressive war?

-          Does necessity justify the use of force?

-          Can diplomatic coercion be construed as an element of “force”?

-          Can Humanitarian Intervention be an acceptable exception to the prohibition on the use of force?

-          Revisiting self-defence: Who sets the ground rules, and who evaluates them?

-          What are the differences between reprisals, retorsions, countermeasures and self-defence involving the use of force?

-          Does waging proxy wars violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter?

-          Does the Responsibility to Protect justify the Use of Force?

-          What is the relevance of the Nicaragua judgment today?

-          How does terrorism fit into the prohibition against the use of force?

-          Are Article 39 and Article 42 of the UN Charter a collective monopoly of power?

-          What significance do aggression and UNGA Resolution 3314 have vis-a-vis the concept of use of force?

-          How does the use of force doctrine apply in areas beyond sovereign control, such as outer space and the High Seas?

-          Piracy on the High Seas.

-          Is it time to Rethink Article 2(4) and Article 51 of the UN Charter?

We welcome submissions under the following categories, with ballpark figures for word limits:

• Articles (between 6000-10000 words including footnotes)
• Short Notes (3000-6000 words including  footnotes)
• Book Reviews (1000-2000 words including footnotes)
• Commentaries (3000-5000 words including footnotes)

All submissions must conform to the following guidelines:

• Submissions are to be made only in electronic form, and are to be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• All submissions for the current issue must be submitted on or before May 31, 2012.
• Each Article must be accompanied by an abstract of not more than 300 words. No abstract is required for Short Notes, Book Reviews or Commentaries.
• For Book Reviews, you must describe the subject of the review clearly, including the name of the book, the name of the author, the name of the publisher, the date of publication, and, if applicable, the edition number.
• Please provide Author details with your submission, including the author’s qualifications, institutional affiliation and postal address. You may provide these details on the first page of the manuscript or in a separate Curriculum Vitae.
• All work must be original. By submitting any work, the author is presumed to declare that the article is original and has not been published elsewhere.

All submissions are promptly acknowledged within a few hours of the receipt of submission. The decision on publication takes a minimum of 2 – 4 weeks. Requests for expedited review can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. when the submission is being considered for publication by other journals. Should you request expedited review, please mention the name of the journal for which your article is under consideration, along with the name and e-mail address of one contact person on the Editorial Board of that journal and a date by which you expect our response.