Cecilia Emma Sottilotta analyses limitations in the EU’s responses to major crises and outlines lessons for responding to future challenges As EU citizens face interconnected rises in living costs and energy shortages it remains crucial to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s crisis response efforts. To this day…

Naazneen H. Barma and James Goldgeier discuss the risks of policy engagement and how to avoid them — Should academics stay in the ivory tower and stick to writing in highly specialized journals? Or should they try to share their ideas with policy-makers and the public through various forms of engagement, including writing for public consumption? The perception that international affairs scholars were developing a ‘cult of irrelevance’…

Mariana Vieira — With war and conflict raging across the five inhabited continents, it might seem quaint to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on 21 September. Or, perhaps, the continuation of politics by other means, and the suffering that accompanies it, make it ever more pressing to engage with the…

Emma Rosengren explains how gender analogies are hiding key issues at stake as Sweden joins NATO ‘Either you are in, or you are out. NATO’s relationship with Sweden is like with a woman: either she is pregnant, or she is not.’ Those were the words of former NATO secretary general…

Katie McCann shares insights on how to implement decolonial practices from an event with Jasmine Gani and Halima Begum — The debate surrounding decolonization in international relations has been subject to renewed interest in the long aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests. …

Debangana Chatterjee outlines the ways international conferences exclude researchers from the global South and perpetuate colonial knowledge divides — The steps for an international studies scholar to attend a major international conference are ostensibly straightforward. They begin with a robust abstract and acceptance into a world-renowned conference programme. While for some in academia the struggle ends here, for many this is only the beginning.

Laura Rose Brown and Laura Considine outline 3 questions on gender that policy-makers need to answer ahead of the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. — In August this year, the much-anticipated 10th Review Conference (RevCon) of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will take place in New York. …

Ilan Manor outlines the advantages and limitations of memes as communications tool in the Russia–Ukraine war — Within the battle for global popular opinion that is taking place alongside the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, the importance of social media has been difficult to overstate, with memes in particular playing a central role. …

Mariana Vieira — There is nothing quite like spending the summer lost within the pages of a great book. In this blogpost, our Book Reviews Editor Mariana Vieira shares her top ten books to help you navigate the latest titles. The selection includes books recently reviewed in International Affairs and covers topics from…