*ISA Blog

CFP: Lessons From Our Cyber Past: The First Military Cyber Units

The Atlantic Council invites participation at a workshop examining the early history of cyber conflict through military units that were established to operate in this new domain of warfare on March 5. Cyber Command is the most recent major cyber military unit, but it is not the first. Since the mid-1990s, there have been a chain of military commands, each created to help the military understand and deal with conflict in this new domain. This event will feature a discussion with three of the first pioneering cyber commanders. They have been asked to comment on the following questions: why was their unit created; what did they learn; and finally, what lessons are there for today? The workshop is scheduled for Monday, March 5, 2012, from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., at the Atlantic Council headquarters in Washington, DC. If you have any questions regarding this workshop, or would like to RSVP, please contact isp@acus.org. Please see the website for more information.

Annual Convention Hotels Deadline

Discounted room rates at our overflow hotels expire today. After today you will be able to secure the market rate on available rooms, please contact the individual hotels for information on availability and pricing. We have posted the list on our website here.

Conference: The Berlin International Economics Congress

The organizers invite applications for the The Berlin International Economics Congress 2012 (BIEC) to be convened in Berlin, March 7th – 10th, 2012. The conference theme is: Building Economic Bridges: Integrating Cultural Diplomacy into Nation Branding, Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Governance. Participants are invited to examine the role of Cultural Diplomacy in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Bridges, Global Governance and Nation Branding with an international outlook. The four-day international congress will consist of lectures and seminars held by international politicians and various experts in the economic, academic and marketing fields as well as panel discussions, workshops, interactive sessions and social activities. Please see the conference website for more information.

CFA: 2012 Summer Freeman Foundation Workshop

The Japan Studies Association announces an academic workshop taking place from May 20 to June 9, 2012.  The 2012 Freeman Summer Institute on Japan is funded by the generosity of the Freeman Foundation and will occur at Hawaii Tokai International College, a 15 minute walk from Waikiki, with easy access by foot or bus to the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the the city of Honolulu. Most expenses are covered by the Freeman Foundation, although each institution is expected to provide a modest $600 program fee. The workshop aims to provide knowledge about Japan that faculty can use in classroom instruction at their colleges and universities. The workshop offers a great chance learn about Japan as a whole and to enhance your understanding of Japanese history, economy, culture, arts and other aspects of Japan and its people. Details about the Summer Institute and how to apply appear at the Japan Studies Association website.

CFN: ISA-MW Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award

The ISA Midwest Region invites nominations for the Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award. This award is broadly designed to honor faculty members in the ISA Midwest region who excel in working with students, recognizing that a core part of our work as educators takes place both in and out of the classroom and can significantly impact the lives of our students. The award takes into account that excellence in teaching may take a variety of forms. Nominations should be made by a colleague who has first hand knowledge of the nominee’s teaching and mentoring record. Self-nominations are not allowed. The nominee must be a member of ISA Midwest, and/or have attended the conference in the previous five years, and/or be geographically located in the Midwest region. Nominations and materials should be sent to Dr. Carolyn Shaw, carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu, by May 15, 2012. Please see the award website for more information.

CFP: Global Constitutionalism

Cambridge University Press invites proposals for the new journal Global Constitutionalism - Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (GlobCon). The journal seeks to promote a deeper understanding on the foundations, limitations and principles of political order and their dynamics over time on a global scale. As it aims at developing interdisciplinary discourse about global constitutionalism, it welcomes submissions from scholars of International Law, Political Science, International Relations, Comparative Constitutional Law, Comparative Politics, Political Theory and Philosophy. For manuscript submissions please see the call for papers. The journal's website provides a preview of the articles in the inaugural issue and an exclusive free download of the editorial.

Conference: Evolving Dynamics of Security in Africa

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the U.S. Africa Command, the U.S. Army War College Senior Service College Fellowship Program, and the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts will host a full-day conference examining the evolving dynamics of security in Africa on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. The conference brings together policymakers, practitioners, military personnel, and scholars to share the latest research and policy options on issues impacting African and global security. Advance registration is required and space is limited. There is no registration fee. Please see the conference website for more information.

Update on Hotels for ISA 2012

Our hotel room blocks for the ISA Annual Convention in San Diego are filling up quickly. ISA’s two primary host hotels have sold-out of the group rate. Overflow hotels are now available for group rate reservations on our convention hotels website. Please remember that group rates are ONLY available until each hotel’s group rate block is sold-out, or until the cutoff date of February 28, 2012, whichever happens first. The Courtyard Marriott ($189 single, $209 double), Doubletree ($189 Single/$209 Double) and Sofia Hotel ($175 Single/$195 Double) have all recently lowered their room rates for our convention participants. The Bristol Hotel is now sold-out at discounted room rates. Please note that there is another city-wide convention taking place in downtown San Diego the week of our convention and rates at equivalent hotels in downtown will be higher than the ISA group rates. Our full list of hotel room rates is available here. Overflow hotels are listed in order of proximity to the host hotels.

CFP: New Politics and Society in the Middle East

The Institute for Social Sciences of Sakarya University announces “1stMiddle East International Congress: New Politics and Society” to be held 9 - 11 October, 2012 in Sakarya, Turkey. The Middle East is once again under spotlight thanks mainly to the Arab Awakening. This conference invites observers and students of the region to reconsider and rework not only the highly topical events of the day but also several related phenomena that include citizenry, political action, state building, democratic politics, social legitimacy of authority, social justice, social media, new political consciousness, national self-determination and the post 9/11 international politics of the Middle East. Participants are asked to consider that while Europe and the U.S. needed several centuries to develop modern political governance and civil society, the challenge for the Middle Eastern peoples is to press on the means of democratic politics in a much shorter time frame and under perilous conditions. Sakarya University, Institute for Social Sciences invites scholars, public figures and activists of all stripes to join the panels and colloquiums for advancing our understanding of the new dynamics of the region. The language of the Congress will be English, Arabic and Turkish with simultaneous translations provided. Proposals should be received by 7 May 2012. Please see the conference website for more information.

CFP: Crises and Critiques of the European Union

The organizers invite proposals for the 2nd Crisis and Critique Conference: Crises and Critiques of the European Union to be held April 25-26, 2012 at the Institute for Social Sciences of Sakarya University and EURDC, Sakarya, Turkey. Proposals on topics related to challenges facing the European Union are welconme, including but not limited to: recent economic and financial debt crises, the chronic problems of ‘European Social Model’, new dilemmas of liberty vs. security, the daunting rise of extreme right, various forms of cultural crises such as the social integration of faith-based or ethnic groups in Europe, the Cartoon Crisis and the home-grown Norwegian terror attacks.  The languages of the conference are English and Turkish. Paper proposals should be around 300 words and include a short-bio of the author(s) and should be received by 15 March 2012. Please see the conference website for more information.