EDITORIAL

ALEJANDRA RIPOLL *

* Editor

Eight years have lapsed since the first issue of this publication was printed. After that, each semester another number came out, until completing the four that were required for submission to Publindex, expecting to get indexed by that entity. Eagerly, the results were expected and we finally got the notification: the Journal was indexed in category C. Thereafter, the editorial team has been rigorous in meeting all requirements in order to move higher, and now we are in category A2.

The above journey was made under the previous indexing and validation process. Although it had somewhat burdensome requirements for the editor and people responsible for the making of the journal itself, it did not prevent the exponential growth of scientific publications. This growth overflowed Publindex operational capacity, causing disorder in the information.

Because of that problem, Publindex presents a new indexing and validation process, including factors such as: citation index, impact factor and quartiles. These measurements will be carried out through the so called SIRES (System of indexation and summary), as a more effective way to control the editorial and scientific quality, visibility and accessibility. With this more direct intervention, one would predict that scientific publications will improve; however, there is no certainty of the universe of competition they will face and consequently, who will survive.

In the end, scientific publications will continue being the mechanism par excellence to collectivize research results and dispersion of knowledge. For that, the Journal of International Relations, Strategy and Security, with the decisive cooperation of the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, its editorial staff committed to quality, the wisdom of external and internal peers and writers who have had the dedication and patience to make all adjustments that are suggested to his writings, hereby present volume 9-1, with its traditional thematic lines of international relations, politics, strategy and security.

International relations and geopolitics includes two articles: Central Asia: the bends of history and geography, by Paulo Duarte. The author deals with a current subject from a historical perspective, but focused on topics other than the traditional in Asian studies. He focuses on systemic issues, such as geography being a variable that explains the design and conduct in foreign policy and whys that attract foreign investment. He concludes with the reasons that make Central Asia important to world powers. In the second article, Need for understanding: interdependence and competition in the Spanish-Moroccan Relations, by Antonio Palomar Ruiz-Gálvez, inter-State conflicts are a constant in the international system. This case study deals with the tensions between Spain and Morocco following the signing and dissolution of a Treaty of protectorate exerted by the first over the second, focused on territorial aspects. The article clearly states that Morocco is a serious conventional threat to Spain, to the point that it has become a central subject of the Spanish security agenda.

Politics has four articles: Educational evaluation in Mexico, by Jorge E. Horbath and Maria Amalia Gracia. This article is aimed at documenting the Mexican experience in educational evaluation. Despite its importance, in the literature there is not enough material that examines the application and the impact it has had on improving that activity. However, the authors suggest that it may serve as a model for other Latin American countries seeking to improve educational evaluation practices. They conclude that there is a need to develop other type of assessments that include the institutional factor in all its complexity. The second article The theory of State failure: among approximations and disagreements, by John Sebastian Zapata Callejas, aims to develop a theoretical reconstruction of the failed state from texts in Spanish. In developing the text, it displays an interesting conceptual and theoretical framework that allows the reader to clearly understand the effects of the impossibility of a State to govern. However, the wealth of this article is mainly to identify agreements and disagreements when defining a failed State and from this exercise, reveal some of the characteristics that such States have.

The third article, Authoritarianism and Democracy in Latin America: two extremes of social, political and cultural hegemonic rationalities, by Juan Maria Cuevas; it deals with authoritarianism not as an exercise of authority, but as a culture that has been present in Latin America and has given rise to several meanings and constructions. Within these corollaries, it is first found the democratization of the State that does not meet the principles of what should be a democratic State and second to structuring of the concept of citizenship. In the latter, it is identified a sense of fear in the citizens for the established systems of power. It can be observed as an inherited authoritarian enclave of old, that made territorial conquests, and conquers minds today. Finally, the fourth article XXI century socialism in Latin America: Characteristics, developments and challenges, by Alvaro Andrés Hamburger Fernández; the author states that because of the weakness of democracies in Latin America and the inefficiency of capitalism as a motor of development, socialism appears in the XXI century, which is defined as a combination of socialism with a participatory and direct democracy. This alternative, based on human security, can end with exploitation, neglect and chronic dependencies of the region. However, to make it a reality, it must mutate its political behavior and make some adjustments to idiosyncratic factors.

The Strategy and Security Section has two articles: the first one, Trauma and stigmatized identities: forced migrations due to armed conflicts, by Eliana Cárdenas Méndez. One of the major challenges of international society is the issue of migration, because it involves two complex issues that are not easy to reconcile: state security and human security. This subject has been extensively studied, however, this article is particularly interesting because it analyzes the trauma that results from forced migrations due to armed conflicts. The author affirms that it has negative impacts on the fabric of social relations, because it leaves an indelible mark on the victims. Finally, Preparing for post-conflict in Colombia from development and peace programs: challenges and learned lessons for international cooperation and companies, by Miguel Barreto Henriques. The compound word “post-conflict” has become the center of social talk in academic and government circles. A number of investigations assert that it is time to prepare for this new phase, not only with the participation of the State and the armed groups, but with other sectors. The author suggests three players who can help to create peace: first, development and peace programs; second, international cooperation and third, companies. The PDP´s, because they are an established model with a multidimensional approach that has proved successful in the regional areas. The other two will provide decisive help due to their economic capability to take on some financial costs that give sustainability to the programs and strategies in the post-conflict stage.

Finally, we hope that this issue provides new analytical perspectives on the above issues and serve as the backbone for future research. Furthermore, we extend our most sincere thanks to all those who made possible this publication.