Today, it is a real pleasure to speak with the editorial team of Contemporary Security Policy, one of the most influential journals in the field of international security studies. Previously, known as Arms Control (1980 - 1993).
Since its founding in 1980, the journal has played a central role in shaping discussions on armed conflict, intervention, strategic change, and global security governance.
Impact Factor: 5.0 / 5-Year Impact Factor: 4.6
Indexed: Scopus / Web of Science
First Decision: 5 days
Acceptance Rate: 11%
Major fields of concern include:
- War and armed conflict
- Peacekeeping
- Conflict resolution
- Arms control and disarmament
- Defense policy
- Strategic culture
- International institutions
The journal is currently led by three co-editors:
- Myriam Dunn Cavelty
- Nicole Jenne
- Yf Rejkers
Two of them are with us today:
Professor Myriam Dunn Cavelty is a leading scholar of cyber security, risk politics, and the governance of emerging technologies, based at ETH Zürich.
Associate Professor Nicole Jenne is an expert on Latin American security, civil–military relations, and regional responses to transnational threats at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, also a visiting scholar at David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University.
Content
00:00 — Introduction
01:52 — The Journal’s Mission: Change and Continuity
04:24 — The Intellectual DNA of CSP
06:22 — Managing Breadth: Coherence Across Security Studies
09:49 — Evaluating Innovative and Experimental Submissions
11:56 — What Counts as ‘Policy’ in Contemporary Security Policy?
14:23 — Borderline Cases: When Policy Relevance Is Unclear
19:54 — Methodological Pluralism and Editorial Tensions
22:46 — Qualitative or Quantitative? CSP’s Methodological Orientation
25:02 — Major Intellectual Trends in Recent Submissions
26:41 — Desired Growth Areas: Topics the Journal Wants More Of
28:20 — Attracting Strong Manuscripts: Editorial Strategies and Outreach
33:03 — The Role of AI in Academic Submissions
42:49 — The Most Common Mistakes in Manuscript Submission
44:10 — Fairness, Bias, and Delay: The Realities of Peer Review
47:49 — Should Authors Recommend Potential Reviewers?
49:41 — Supporting Junior Scholars and Academics Facing Structural Disadvantage
53:24 — The Bernard Brodie Prize
56:54 — Publication Strategy: Controlling Volume and Maintaining Quality
58:47 — What an Editorial Board Actually Does
01:02:11 — Editorial Priorities and a Final Message to Scholars
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