Call for Papers

Conflict-derivative Humanitarian Crises in the BSEM: The Multi-Level Repercussions of Forced Population Displacement

The Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Review (BSEMR) invites submissions for a Special Issue on “Conflict-derivative Humanitarian Crises in the BSEM: The Multi-Level Repercussions of Forced Population Displacement”.

Over the last decade, the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean (BSEM) has been one of the most instable parts of the world. Particularly, since February 2022, three old fronts have been inflamed with increased, acute tension and, unfortunately, with growing casualties including death tolls: the full-fledged Russian invasion of Ukraine, the conclusive Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, which forcibly ended the Armenian breakaway claim, and the ongoing Israeli military deployment in Gaza aiming to dismantle and eradicate Hamas in response to the Palestinian group’s ferocious assault on Israel in October 7th, 2023.   

In all three cases, international leaders and analysts expressed serious concerns and alarm regarding the dire implications of war crimes, including fears for genocide. Certain ones urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take action (given the limitations related with issues of jurisdiction). In Ukraine, the prolonged war has already resulted in the displacement of millions of civilians, and it is estimated that the country will suffer massive population decline in post-war years. In the case of Nagorno-Karabakh, the vast majority of the Armenian population fled the enclave. In the case of the Israeli operations in Gaza, the ICJ, in the context of South Africa’s request for provisional measures, ordered Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent acts of genocide.

We invite scholars and researchers whose work focuses on the consequences and on broader ramifications of conflict-derivative forced displacement in the BSEM, including political and geopolitical, or examines such from the perspectives of law, sociology, psychology, and other relevant fields, to submit their papers. Whereas the call focuses on recent conflicts (or recent episodes in old conflicts), we also welcome researchers who take historical approaches, or analyze old cases, but preferably in conjunction with ongoing developments.

Authors should consult the BSEMR’s guidelines for submission, which can be found here: https://lawjournals.unic.ac.cy/index.php/bsemr/about/submissions

Submissions should be made online, through the link above, not later than 15/6/2024.

For specific enquiries, please contact the BSEMR Editorial Committee via bsemr@auth.gr.