Call for papers “Middle East and North Africa: Facing the Energy Transition Challenge”
Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals is accepting submissions for Issue 143 (September 2026)
“Middle East and North Africa: Facing the Energy Transition Challenge”
Scientific coordination: Martijn Vlaskamp (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals - IBEI) and Adrià Rivera Escartin (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya - UOC)
Deadline for submitting abstracts: July 21st, 2025
Barcelona, June 13th, 2025
Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals is a cultural-academic journal covering international relations. It was founded in 1982 and is published every four months. A pioneering publication in the Spanish-speaking world, each issue is a monograph offering in-depth, interdisciplinary analysis of a topic related to the international situation, curated by experts in the field. All published papers are original pieces of research that have undergone external double-blind peer review and are indexed in the main social sciences academic databases, such as Scopus and Web of Science.
Subject matter and content of Issue 143:
“Middle East and North Africa: Facing the Energy Transition Challenge”
The global transition towards a low-carbon energy model can have profound implications for the economic, political and social stability of many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as for international relations in the region. Just as the hydrocarbons-based global economy has marked the region and shaped alliances in the past and into the present, the political economy of the energy transition involves profound transformations on several levels, both in this area and beyond.
For one thing, MENA region countries that are heavily reliant on exports of oil and gas, like Algeria or the Gulf states, may face an unprecedented structural transformation. A possible drop in demand for hydrocarbons is forcing these states to reconsider their development models, which raises key questions about the future of rentier states, economic diversification and the sustainability of their political systems. Some of these countries see the promotion of renewable energy as an important part of their diversification policies.
Meanwhile, other countries in the region that lack significant hydrocarbons reserves, as is the case of Morocco, have opted for developing renewable energies as a means of economic growth. While it presents an economic opportunity, it also implies new challenges and conflicts - over access to and the use of resources such as land and water, for example.
In this light, the energy transition in the MENA region is not only an economic or technological process, but also a profoundly political phenomenon with national and international implications.
With that in mind, Issue 143 of Revista d’Afers Internacionals seeks to contribute to the debate on the energy future, climate justice and political stability in the wider Mediterranean region. The aim is to explore the following key areas of analysis:
The impact of the energy transition on the political and economic stability of the Middle East and North Africa, including the Arab countries, Israel, Turkey and Iran.
The effects of economic diversification in rentier states and their long-term viability.
The challenges and opportunities associated with the expansion of renewable energies in the region.
The tensions and conflicts arising from access to and the use of key resources - land and water - in the context of the energy transition.
The role played by international actors in the promotion of the energy transition and the implications for regional geopolitics.
The debates over energy justice and equity in the distribution of the benefits and costs of an alternative energy model.
We therefore welcome original contributions that examine how the energy transition in the MENA region impacts the political economy of its component countries. Specifically, each contribution should tackle the following issues, either via a case study of a country or through a comparative study:
The level of renewable energy implementation and the targets set in the country or countries under analysis.
The economic and political motives driving or holding back that transition.
Identifying domestic actors (government, economic elites, civil society, etc) who support or oppose the expansion of renewable energies.
The influence of international factors such as foreign investors, multilateral agreements or geopolitical pressure.
The tensions or conflicts arising from the energy transition, including disputes over the use of resources (land, water) or the possible reconfiguration of power relations.
Timetable of the call for papers:
July 21st: Deadline for the submission of abstracts (300 words) and a short CV of the author(s) (100 words). Proposals should be sent to publicacions@cidob.org
September 15th: Authors will be notified of the result of the selection.
November 27th: Deadline for the submission of full manuscripts (see author instructions and style guide).
Selection process:
The editorial board - coordinated in this issue by Martijn Vlaskamp and Adrià Rivera Escartin - will draw up a shortlist of proposals based on the abstracts received.
The author(s) of the shortlisted proposals will receive detailed instructions on how to submit the full manuscripts within the stipulated time limit.
The final texts, subject to scientific screening, will proceed to a process of external double-blind peer review, resulting in final acceptance or refusal of the papers for publication.
Proposals should be sent to publicaciones@cidob.org by July 21st, 2025.
For any questions or queries, please contact publicaciones@cidob.org
Additional requirements:
Submissions must be unpublished originals.
Abstracts will be accepted in Spanish and English.
Papers will be published in Spanish with abstracts in English. Original works in English may be published in this language in the online version of the journal.
Processing of personal data
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