At first glance, the books presented in this year’s Christmas reading list reflect Martin Wright’s pessimism about peace on a global scale. On the one hand, this is intentional — the books below offer a reminder that many conflicts quickly disappear from headlines, even when they are far from over…

Catarina Thomson et al. survey the European public about their opinions on the Russia-Ukraine war and NATO expansion — The International Affairs team is excited to announce the publication of our first policy paper. Throughout its history, International Affairs has been a site for engagement between academics and policy-makers on the most pressing issues in international politics. We continue this tradition by launching a new section in the journal…

Every Book Reviews section of International Affairs begins by presenting the latest books on International Relations theory. Over the years, we have featured many, many notable theory books, so creating a top 5 list is not for the faint of heart. However, Book Reviews Editor Mariana Vieira has taken on…

Kacie Miura explores Xi Jinping’s nationalistic foreign policy, its impact on maritime actors and international perceptions of Beijing. — Drawing on her article in the September 2023 issue of International Affairs, Kacie Miura speaks to Isabel Muttreja about Chinese maritime actors in the South China Sea. She delves into President Xi Jinping’s nationalistic foreign policy and consolidation of personal power to explain the aggressive action at sea and advises…

Luisa Lobato and Victoria Santos analyse how technology is designed to make information accessible and democratize research at the UN Security Council — There are numerous barriers to widening participation in peacemaking processes. One of the most important yet insidious can be access to information. Getting a seat at the table at key negotiations is an obstacle in itself, and on top of that less established actors often face distinct challenges when negotiating…

Dean Cooper-Cunningham and Jess Gifkins outline six ways researchers and policy-makers can better address queer and trans experiences of mass violence. — Politicized homophobia and transphobia often precede democratic backsliding, mass atrocity and identity-based violence. Yet a systemic failure to include queer perspectives in frameworks designed to cultivate peace, security and respect for human rights, such as the UN’s Responsibility to Protect (R2P), leaves the international community ill-equipped to support queer people…

Ulrike Lühe, Laurie Nathan, Isabel Bramsen and Anine Hagemann unpack issues around mediation, research methods and the academic-practitioner gap in the study and execution of conflict resolution. — As violent conflicts are on the rise in different parts of the world, it is increasingly important for peacemakers, international organizations and researchers to work towards sustainable and lasting peace.

Our September edition of International Affairs is very special indeed: it features an impressive selection of 35 book reviews and the second Review Forum of the year — all of which are open access until the end of November. In this blog, Book Reviews Editor Mariana Vieira spotlights some of…

By looking at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ryuta Ito explains how anger and overconfidence drive leaders to adopt unrealistic goals in conflicts. — Throughout history, world leaders have often overplayed their hands and pursued goals that may not be achievable, especially in cases of conflict. Policy-makers would do well to understand the potentially catastrophic risks that can come with overestimating their own abilities.