As part of our drive to deepen and widen our range of accessible expert content on current affairs, we are seeking to build a team of volunteer Middle East editors to seek out, and commission, expert content on the Middle East. The role is excellent experience for anyone looking to build a career in academia, policymaking, or the non-state sector. It will help you build skills, forge professional relationships, and take away proven results to put on your CV.

About the role

Commissioning is a dynamic and rewarding role designed for those who are engaged in higher level reading, and research, and who immerse themselves in scholarly debates. We generally seek students, at any level, with a keen interest in the Middle East. We expect that beyond that, you will also have theoretical/country-specific/methodological (etc.) underpinnings to your interest that would make your interest more specific. Some examples below of former applicants:

• The politics of gender in Islam
• Nuclear proliferation and Saudi-Iranian rivalry
• Migration post-Syrian War
• Terrorism in failed/failing states, with case studies of Libya, Syria (etc.)
• The geopolitics of the wider Middle East considering Indian and Turkish strategies
• LGBTQ activism in Arabic societies
• Climate change and water scarcity
• Wider implications of the Yemen war
• The ongoing importance of petropolitics
• The role of external great powers (China, the US etc.) in the region
• How to find a new peace process for Israel/Palestine
• The spread of Islamic State into Africa

As the indicative list above shows, we define this role in the widest sense, and we are keen to hear applications from all areas of interest, so long as they involve the Middle East (defined widely) in some way. It is our mission at E-International Relations to wed expertise with accessibility, not just providing content freely to all – but doing so in a format that is readable and understandable. While many journals have gone open access (in whole or in part) they fail to achieve the latter. Similarly, many online magazines exist that cover current affairs, but they typically do so within only a narrow range of thinking, and/or without academic theory or method on show. As the only fully open access, and fully diverse scholarly publication – E-International Relations welcomes all voices and provides a space for a global dialogue. We very much hope you can join us and help us to fill a vital space for such dialogues on Middle East affairs.

How it works

This is an editorial role. You are not joining us to write content, but to commission and edit it in order for us to present that content to our audience. You will be responsible for researching and contacting potential expert authors yourself – though we will give you guidance and mentor you through the process. Every piece of work a Commissioning Editor contributes to is given credit which appears permanently on the output – amounting to a verified record of your efforts. You are empowered to set your own agenda and fit this role around your busy schedule as it suits you best, but you should understand that the role is self-starting … so you need to bring your own momentum, passion and drive. If you are unable to work on your own initiative and come up with your own ideas, then this role is not for you. Everything we publish is fully open access, so you can easily share your successes to anyone who can click a link.

This role is remote, and voluntary. Volunteering with E-International Relations is not your typical ‘work experience’. First, we coordinate our activities remotely using Slack. So, you do not need to physically attend a place of work to volunteer with us. Second, we have no paid staff, we are all volunteers. We volunteer some of our spare time because we want to have a hand in maintaining the best online resource for students and scholars of international politics. Finally, we empower our editors to learn skills, manage their own time and develop their own projects. The result is that the more volunteers give of themselves, the more they take away from the experience. It is no surprise that many of our editors have built on their experience with us to go on to senior positions in the publishing industry, politics, and academia.

What do you get out of it

• By networking with our editorial team and with other academics in a professional context you will grow your profile and build up links for collaborations and future projects that will add value to your academic and professional journey.
• You will sharpen your editorial skills, which also reflects back on helping you become a better writer.
• You will learn about the academic and publishing industries from a new vantage point.
• You will get something of value to place on your CV, and can request a reference/letter of recommendation if you ever need one in the future.
• In addition to commissioning, you can take part in other activities and projects (if you want to) across our operations – these include volunteering on podcasts and books.
• If you stick around long enough, there are always more senior roles within our team open.

If you would like to get in touch about this position, send us an email titled ‘Middle East Editor’ to recruitment.e.ir@gmail.com. Within that email please:

1. Briefly outline your academic and professional trajectory by detailing what you have studied in the past, what you are studying/doing now, and what you intend to do next (250 words max).
2. Detail the kind of content, and authors, you would like to commission for E-International Relations, within the remit of the Middle East. The more specific you are here, the better (350 words max).
3. Attach (or link) one academic writing sample that best represents your abilities thus far.
4. Attach a one page CV/resume, or link a professional web page.
5. Confirm to us in your email that you are able to aside at least 5 hours a week and can foresee committing to the role for at least 6 months. As this is a voluntary role, we are (of course) flexible. But these are the minimums that would allow you to get the most out of the role.

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