This first issue of 2014 marks the point where we can proudly announce that this journal celebrates its 25th anniversary and is moving from five to six issues a year. This increase in editions marks the undoubted success of the journal in the last few years as the areas of insurgency, counterinsurgency, terrorism, and warlord conflicts have attracted an ever-growing number of scholars and analysts from around the globe.
When Small Wars and Insurgencies first started modestly some quarter of a century ago it appeared three times a year. The journal was initiated, in part, to meet a growing demand for scholarly articles on the history and politics of insurgent movements and the various forms of state responses. In the late 1980s the Cold War had yet to come to an end and the issue of insurgency was still dominated by the interests of the rival superpowers. Though much had been written on insurgencies and guerrilla warfare, a good deal of the literature available was from military experts or independent amateurs with a keen eye for detail and, on occasions, a lively writing style that contrasted with the frequently pedestrian tone of academic professionals.
Small Wars and Insurgencies has tried to continue both approaches with a strong focus on high scholarly standards in publication on insurgencies and counterinsurgencies but also by placing emphasis on a clear writing style that avoids, wherever possible, the unnecessary use of pedantic jargon. It has also centrally been a journal concerned with the development of sound historical and political examination rather than quantitative approaches, though we the editors have experienced our weak moments over the years and have published some credible articles in the latter mould.
This year sees the drawdown of NATO and other forces from Afghanistan; and for some strategic experts, the era of expeditionary warfare that began in the 1990s may now be coming to an end. What is clear is that as the study of insurgencies and counterinsurgencies has expanded so too have the number of specialist debates. This has been reflected in the growing number of special issues that this journal has been publishing with guest editors. This has been one major reason why we have taken the decision to expand the number of issues to six a year: in 2014–15 we will be publishing no fewer than four special issues starting with this issue focused on the debate on US counterinsurgency followed by three others that will address the history of small wars and petits guerres (25, No. 4), the future of British counterinsurgency (25, no. 3), and how civil conflicts are brought to an end (26, No. 2). In issue 26, no. 1 in 2015 we are excited to note that we will publish a special issue on the cinema and counterinsurgency.
As a general policy, we would prefer as editors to publish no more than three special issues a year. That said, we welcome strong proposals in this regard from potential guest editors setting out the aims and purposes of the issue with at least eight potential contributions (at least two of which need to be included in draft). We note that there is also the possibility for a special issue to be developed later into an edited book published through Routledge, though this will normally mean the addition of several new and original chapters. We consider special issues a vital way to move debate and discussion forward, though we also have to balance this out with publishing a long queue of general articles from authors, who in many cases have had to wait a considerable time to see their article get into print. We are grateful for their patience and the expansion in editions will address this backlog.
Turning to the future of this journal, it is clear to anyone familiar with recent issues that we have moved increasingly onto a global plane and away from the conventional Anglo-American framework through which discussion of these topics has been conducted. In an increasingly globalised publishing world, where this Anglo-American orthodoxy is arguably under increasing scrutiny, it is obvious to the editors that new approaches are essential, not least from a ‘non-Western’ perspective that takes on board new theoretical perspectives. This shift is reflected in the changing nature of the journal's editorial board, though we are strongly averse to establishing any politically correct ‘line’ based on any particular intellectual dogma.
Overall we look to a growing focus on world history in the understanding of insurgent and sub-state conflict, counterinsurgency, as well as a focus on the fracturing of states, state-breakdown and failure, the links among civil war, terrorism, and insurgency, and the changing nature of transnational movements such as maritime piracy, drug gangs, the creation of narco-states, and international terrorist movements. We also have space for strong articles dealing with the legal and ethical implications of these issues along with articles that focus on role of religion, ethnicity, and gender in sub-state conflict. These are major areas of enquiry and it is our hope and intention that the journal will continue to deal with them in the lively and engaging manner in the years ahead as they have which has gotten us to this point.
In the end, the credit for the journal's success is almost exclusively due to the unsparing efforts of the authors; and on this point, we the editors are eternally grateful. But, please do not rest heavily on your respective well-earned laurels. We look forward to continue to soldier on with you well into the future.