‘I’m an intelligent pessimist, a pessimist who has occasional flashes of optimism. Nearly everything happens for the worst, but not always, you see, nothing is ever always’.
Paul Auster, 4321
Geopolitical crises, regime changes, shifting alliances, and existential threats like climate change can make it easy to feel overwhelmed – paralysed by the sheer scale of transformation and uncertainty. And yet, as one of Paul Auster’s characters in his novel 4321 reminds us, nothing is ever always. Even in times of upheaval, unexpected openings emerge. Even when catastrophe seems inevitable, it can be averted. And even when change appears beyond our control, the way we respond to adversity can shape the outcomes that follow. Hope and renewal often flicker in the least expected places.
This issue calls for submissions that explore both the current changing political and cultural landscape, and instances of unexpected reversals, near-misses, disasters-overturned, and new opportunities seized amidst challenging circumstances. How do political actors deal with and leverage openings provided by unprecedented changes in the global order – now or in the historical past? How do political systems, social movements, and institutions recalibrate after disasters, both foreseen and unforeseen?
Possible topics to explore include (but are not limited to):
- Changes and opportunities in the new geopolitical architecture of the world
- Responses to and reversals of democratic backsliding, rule of law violations, and regime change
- Fears and opportunities of artificial intelligence
- Theories of resistance, hope, and resilience
- Successes, failures, and prospects of climate politics
- Transitional justice, amnesty, and pardons
Potential books for review:
- Why Aquinas Matters Now, Oliver Keenan
- How Tyrants Fall, Marcel Dirsus
- Evidence for Hope, Kathryn Sikkink (retrospective review)
The deadline for submissions is 13 April 2025 (23:59 UK time). Submissions should be emailed to submissions@oxfordpoliticalreview.com along with a short 1-2 sentence bio of the author.
In general, we are looking for submissions that take the following format:
- Long-form articles consisting of no more than 2,000 words
- Book reviews and review essays of no more than 1,500 words
- Interviews of no more than 2,000 words
For more information on our general submission guidelines, please follow this link. Pieces that do not adhere to our style guide will be rejected.
Typically, we have more submissions than we can accept. If we like your submission but cannot accept it for the print issue, we will publish it separately online.