Strife. There is wide agreement that our world is increasingly moving towards strife, in geopolitics, domestic politics, interpersonal relations, and potentially in individual ethos and morality, rather than away from it. Whereas the post-Cold War period ushered in an era of international collaboration and cooperation, in many ways the last decade is marked by widening chasms between communities and people – and with those divisions, conflict.
While these editors are not so naïve as to say that conflict, strife, and violence did not persist since the 90s under the auspices of liberal state-building, the Wars on Terror and Drugs, the rise of new politically violent actors, more intrastate conflict, and ineffective multilateral efforts, there is something markedly different about how we conceive of peace and conflict since the mid-2010s. Before, it felt like we were building towards something, aspiring to be better even when mistakes were made. Speech that was openly hateful was condemned and violations of civil and international rights had consequences. States were more likely to be held accountable by their people, other states, and global institutions. Though the contours were frequently debated, there was widespread acceptance amongst wealthy states that delivering aid in times of turmoil was a moral and political obligation. Now, norms of cooperation, peacebuilding, and respect for human rights are deteriorating. A myriad of unpredictable state and non-state actors, technological advances, unchecked wealth, and the intensification of global warming, amongst other factors, have led to a time that feels more rife with conflict than ever before.
In this context, there is a need for new ideas and voices. Thus, we introduce Strife Magazine. Designed to showcase the work of postgraduate students, PhD researchers, and early-career researchers, we hope to put forward critical and creative viewpoints on conflict. These viewpoints are so necessary because how we, as individuals, researchers, students, and future decision-makers, deal with this strife will prove influential in the decades to come.
Strife is unique as a student-led publication, run by a staff of KCL Department of War Studies M.A. students. This first edition stays true to the roots of Strife, initially run by a staff of MA and PhD students, focusing on issues of conflict, security, and development, as the Conflict, Security and Development Programme is the home of Strife in past and current forms. We have included a range of topics and perspectives, as we will strive to showcase going forward. We plan to continue with thematic editions, while accepting submissions that may fit in future themes or, in some cases, be relevant for ad-hoc publishing. We are looking for unique arguments, new applications of theory, deep dives into relevant cases and topics, and creative understandings of our current and future world. While we value strong student writing and hope to demonstrate the skills and acumen of young academic voices, we also are looking for work that adds new layers to debates and presents distinctive and novel points. We continue to encourage critical submissions on conflict, broadly defined.
With that, we proudly share our first issue of Strife Magazine. We hope you will enjoy reading, take away a new perspective or idea, and be inspired to think critically about conflict in the world around you.
Sincerely,
Mica Annis and Madison Meyer
Co-Editors-in-Chief
