International Affairs in 2019: the highlights from volume 95
Ben Horton
2019 has been a typically busy year for International Affairs, as the editorial team celebrated the 95th volume in our 97-year history. Over the course of six issues the journal has published 63 articles on a huge range of subjects, as well as reviews of around 300 books.
In this post we’ve gathered some of our highlights from the volume (all available to download for free), alongside some of the op-eds, blogs and podcasts which accompanied the research.
From the whole editorial team at International Affairs we wish you a wonderful start to 2020!
January: World politics 100 years after the Paris peace conference
The year began with a special issue titled ‘World politics 100 years after the Paris peace conference’. Guest-edited by Margaret MacMillan, Anand Menon and Patrick Quinton-Brown, the issue used the events of 1919 as a lens through which to view the current state of global politics. It drew together experts from the disciplines of political economy, international relations, international law and history to consider the ongoing legacies and lessons of the Treaty of Versailles.
Read the Editor’s Choice article from the issue:
Listen to an interview with Margaret MacMillan on the Undercurrents podcast:
March: ‘Targeting infrastructure and livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza’
March was a wide-ranging general issue, including articles on hybrid interference, ISIS recruitment in the Caribbean, Iran’s Syria strategy, and global action on tax evasion. The Editor’s Choice article, by Erika Weinthal and Jeannie Sowers, presented new data on Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure in Palestine. The authors detailed how, in the West Bank, damage to essential infrastructure and restrictions on infrastructure development are forms of slow violence, whereas in the Gaza Strip recurrent violent conflict has produced extensive destruction. In both cases agriculture is the most frequently targeted sector, while damage to water and energy systems has made life increasingly precarious.
Read the Editor’s Choice article from the issue:
Read Andoni Maiza Larrarte and Gloria Claudio-Quiroga’s article in The Conversation:
May: ‘The dynamics of dissent’
The May issue included a section on norm contestation, edited by Anette Stimmer and Lea Wisken. Five articles assessed the contestation of the international norms that influence state behaviour on the global stage. In their introduction the editors outlined the distinction between two forms of contestation — discursive and behavioural — and argued that the gap between states’ words and actions is too often over-looked. This dynamic is explored through four case-studies: debates around the SARS crisis; the Responsibility to Protect; Women, Peace and Security; and the refugee crisis. The issue also included work on US foreign policy, China-Africa relations and Nordic defence cooperation.
Read the introduction to the special section:
Read the Chatham House expert comment:
July: ‘Re-visioning war and state in the 21st century’
In July the journal published a special issue on the future relationship between war and the state in the twenty-first century. Guest-edited by Tracey German the issue brought together scholars from across the world to assess how changes in the geopolitical and technological landscape are transforming the way states develop military strategy. Wide-ranging articles on technology and chemical weapons were joined by case-studies on the security posture of Australia, Denmark, France, India, Russia and the UK.
Read the Editor’s Choice article from the issue:
Read James Wirtz’s post on the International Affairs Blog:
September: ‘Maritime security: the uncharted politics of the global sea’
The September issue included a section, guest-edited by Tim Edmunds, Christian Bueger and Barry Ryan, presenting a range of perspectives on maritime security, from piracy to the security implications of fisheries. Alongside the section were articles on nuclear prohibition, the oversecuritization of global health, and local mobilization in African civil society.
Read the Editor’s Choice article from the issue:
Read Tim Edmunds and Barry Ryan’s post on the OUP Blog:
November: ‘Well, what is the feminist perspective on international affairs?’
The final issue of 2019 included a section on feminist analyses of international relations. Authors explored a range of areas, from the diversity agenda in the global economy to feminist interventions at the UN security council, building on the work of Marysia Zalewski, whose 1994 article in International Affairs, ‘Well, what is the feminist perspective on Bosnia?’, remains a seminal work in the field. Other articles in the issue covered digital diplomacy in the Sahel, China’s ivory bans and the social construction of the Space Race.
Read the Editor’s Choice article from the issue:
Read the post on the International Affairs Blog:
International Affairs is a leading journal of international relations edited at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
The next issue, available in January 2020, is titled ‘Unpacking the strategic dynamics of the Indo-Pacific’. It is guest-edited by Kai He and Mingjiang Li.
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