Fall 2021 Print Release

Dear The Journal on World Affairs readers, 

We are excited to present to you the Journal’s first print edition. Founded in the summer of 2020, The Journal on World Affairs was contoured by the challenges stemming from COVID-19, but colored by innovativeness and partnership. For all of its success, we have to thank the many individuals who joined our team in eagerness to assess and document an incredibly challenging and consequential moment in history. 

We could not be more drawn to the different perspectives that have emerged from our team—complementing, challenging, and expanding each other’s world view. Our writers and editors hail from leading universities across the globe—from UCLA, to Columbia University, The University of Oxford, The University of South Africa, and The University of Sydney. They are bold, yet clear-eyed; analytical, yet creative; and precise, yet adaptive. They have been a true honor to work with, and we are excited to present to you their ideas and experiences. 

The Journal rests on an important assumption: aspiring international relations careerists cannot pursue that path deftly without engaging in foreign affairs in a truly global setting. It is one thing to learn about world events through reading and writing; it is another to collaborate, debate, and engage with individuals born and raised in the very areas one is seeking to analyze. For too long, the angle from which analysts have been looking and interpreting the developments within the international system has been narrow and at times insular. We strongly believe that it is up to the new generation of future IR scholars, observers and policymakers to instill an innovative and truly cosmopolitan approach into world affairs. Perhaps ironically, this vision was forged and pursued at a time when a global pandemic shuttered borders and kept us away from the lecture halls of our respective universities. Our team recognized the importance of fostering a global dialogue more passionately while reviewing the articles crafted during the summer of 2021. 

Many of our writers anticipated and assessed what lies ahead for the United States amid a global pandemic, a change in presidential leadership, and deep political and social polarization. In this edition, we offered a unique constellation of perspectives on what strategies the Biden Administration should adopt to effectively navigate today’s foreign and domestic challenges—from our American, Australian, German, Mexican, Chinese, South African, and Iraqi writers. Taken together, each perspective has added a different element to complete a larger, more holistic image for America’s path forward. Hence, the title of this edition was decided: America’s Quest for a Strategy. 

We hope that you enjoy reading the Journal’s first edition as much as we enjoyed creating it. As we are all still experiencing the effects of COVID-19, we also wish you great health and prosperity. 

Respectfully, 

Taylor Fairless | Founder
Corrado Chirico | Deputy Editor 
Zachary Durkee | Former Deputy Editor