Students of International Relations and related disciplines often gather innovative insights in their papers and essays - however, after grading, most of these are forgotten in the archives. PolisReflects takes the mission to change this: by publishing excellent papers by young voices, by enabling them to hone their arguments through a double-blind peer review process, by fostering debate between our authors and experts and decision-makers in their respective fields, and by building networks in the landscape of student-led scientific publishing.
Each of our issues is centred around a specific topic with current academic and policy relevance that we consider underrepresented in the discourse. Our first edition, Unheard Crises, published in 2021, shed light on a range of crises that had become neglected during the pandemic and its aftermath. The next edition, Digital Sovereignty, considers the making, loss and remaking of sovereign authority in societies that are increasingly shaped by information and communication technology. Our third issue, Democracy in Turmoil, analyses current challenges to democratic governance in many contexts around the world.
PolisReflects is edited by a team of volunteers at Polis180, a Berlin-based grassroots think tank aiming to strengthen young voices in foreign and European policy. It builds on the achievements of its predecessor iReflect, which was published by students of the Master’s programme in International Relations at Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität and the University of Potsdam. We are a proud founding member of Berlin Exchange, a platform for student-led academic journals funded by the Berlin University Alliance.