Harvard International Review

Harvard International Review
Title	Harvard International Review
Category	International affairs
Frequency	Quarterly
Founded	1979
Country	United States
Based	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Language	English

Harvard International Review is a quarterly international affairs magazine produced by students in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It publishes analysis, commentary, and interviews on global politics, diplomacy, security, development, and culture, featuring contributions from scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. The magazine has engaged with figures from across the world including heads of state, diplomats, and intellectuals associated with institutions like United Nations, World Bank, European Union, NATO, and International Monetary Fund.

History

The magazine was established in 1979 by students associated with Harvard University as a forum linking academic research at institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences to policy audiences. Early issues included interviews and essays referencing events like the Soviet–Afghan War, the Iran hostage crisis, and the Camp David Accords. Over the decades the publication covered crises and milestones including the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War, the Rwandan genocide, the Bosnian War, the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, the Arab Spring, the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Editorial shifts reflected scholarly debates from centers such as Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and RAND Corporation. Guest editors and contributors have included figures connected to United States Department of State, United States Department of Defense, European Commission, African Union, ASEAN, Organization of American States, and major universities like Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of Chicago, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mission and Editorial Structure

The magazine's stated mission emphasizes bridging scholarship and policy, drawing on research from think tanks and universities—examples include International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Transparency International, and Pew Research Center. Editorial governance is student-led with faculty advisors and alumni oversight; boards have included fellows affiliated with Harvard Corporation and Harvard Board of Overseers. Editors have coordinated with professional journalists from outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy. The publication process integrates peer review and editorial curation influenced by scholarship published at journals such as World Politics, International Organization, Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Security, and Foreign Policy Analysis.

Content and Sections

Regular content includes long-form analysis, interviews, book reviews, and case studies engaging topics tied to actors like United States, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Poland, Ukraine, Venezuela, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan. The magazine has published interviews with leaders and influencers associated with events like the NATO intervention in Kosovo, the Korean War armistice negotiations, the Suez Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Yom Kippur War. The arts and culture section has referenced works and awards including the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, the Venice Biennale, and films screened at the Cannes Film Festival that intersect with geopolitics. Regular features cite books published by presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Harvard University Press, Princeton University Press, and Columbia University Press.

Contributors and Notable Alumni

Contributors have included academics from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, LSE, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies as well as policymakers affiliated with United Nations Development Programme, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, International Criminal Court, and national ministries. Notable alumni and former contributors have gone on to roles at United States Department of Defense, United States Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Reserve System, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and media organizations such as CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg News, Reuters, and NPR.

Distribution and Readership

The magazine is distributed in print and online, reaching readers at universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Sciences Po, National University of Singapore, and Peking University. Institutional subscribers include libraries at Library of Congress, British Library, New York Public Library, and research centers like Hoover Institution, Wilson Center, and Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. Readership spans diplomats from missions to United Nations, analysts at RAND Corporation, Bruegel, Institute for Security Studies (EU), journalists from The Washington Post, The New York Times, and business leaders at multinational firms including Apple Inc., Microsoft, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Siemens, Huawei, and Samsung Electronics.

Awards and Recognition

The magazine and its contributors have been cited in scholarship and media, appearing in bibliographies alongside awardees of the Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize in Literature, Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, Sakharov Prize, Right Livelihood Award, Buchanan Prize, and recipients of honors from institutions like Royal Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Academia Europaea. Editorial accolades reference reporting standards practiced at outlets like The New Yorker and The Atlantic and the magazine has featured winners of prizes such as the Man Booker Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Fulbright Program scholars.

Category:Political magazines published in the United States Category:Magazines established in 1979