Mariana Vieira — We are starting the new year with the most noteworthy books reviewed in our January special issue. All issues of International Affairs feature a comprehensive book review section, which surveys the latest writing on international politics. In our latest ‘Top 5 books’ series, Book Reviews Editor Mariana Vieira presents a…

Chris Reus-Smit and Ayşe Zarakol outline the impact of overlapping justice claims on the stability of the liberal international order — Almost everyone agrees these days that the post-1945 international order is in crisis. Our order has been gripped by shock after shock in this millennium: 9/11, the global financial crisis of 2007–8, the rise of populism, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to name just a few…

Matt Dixon and George Lawson outline their framework for understanding the overlap between revolutionary and terrorist groups — On 20 April 1894, two anarchists — Giuseppe Farnara and Francis Polti — were sentenced to 30 years in jail at the Old Bailey in London for plotting to destroy capitalism. The evidence against them came from the testimonies of an engineer and a chemist who became suspicious of two…

Till Schöfer and Clara Weinhardt detail the BIC countries’ responses to pressure to give up their developing country status at the WTO. — The World Trade Organization (WTO) affords particular rights to ‘developing’ as opposed to ‘developed’ countries, and Brazil, India and China (BIC) have historically been afforded such differential treatment. However, as some of the largest economies today, the BICs are now being pressured to give up their status as developing countries.

Amrita Narlikar and Cecilia Sottilotta outline ten pitfalls to avoid when working on EDI in social science and beyond — Despite the supposed open-mindedness of academia and its professed commitment to excellence, the tokenism and inadequacy of Equal opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) efforts have been staring us in the face. In response to these challanges and following our publication in IA’s How not to guide for International relations, this…

Mariana Vieira — The Holidays are upon us with the promise of just enough relaxing time to enjoy a good book (or two!). Here are our top 10 books reviewed in International Affairs in 2022, hand-picked by book reviews editor Mariana Vieira. This selection brings together a variety of themes, from nuclear non-proliferation…

Alise Coen explores the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and how local politics affected the treatment of refugees — In the aftermath of the withdrawal of international forces and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the humanitarian and security situation in the country remains dire. Human rights groups have documented unlawful targeted killings and torture of people perceived as enemies of the Taliban, and there have been reports of raids, threats…

Lee Jones explains how neo-liberalism undermined the WHO’s COVID-19 response — The World Health Organization (WHO) was one of the first casualties of the COVID–19 pandemic. While initially prominent, once the virus had escaped China, it was quickly marginalized. The 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) — the cornerstone of global health governance — were ignored as states engaged in uncoordinated, improvised…

Ryuta Ito explains why hybrid balancing is important for understanding China’s Indo-Pacific strategy — What new theories are being developed in international relations, and why do they matter? In this blogpost Ryuta Ito outlines a key concept he’s developed as part of his research and the impact of these concept on how we understand contemporary policy issues. He explains hybrid balancing and its implications…