1922–1945

In the wake of the First World War, the British (later Royal) Institute of International Affairs was established in 1920. It was based at Chatham House in London. Two years later the first issue of its journal was published. The founding editor, Geoffrey Malcolm Gathorne-Hardy, wrote in the first editorial that ‘the journal will, it is hoped… become a source of information and a guide to judgment in international affairs.’^[5]

The historian Arnold J. Toynbee was a regular contributor in the early years of International Affairs

For much of its early life the journal consisted of transcriptions of the major addresses and speeches given at Chatham House.

In 1931 the journal was renamed International Affairs. During that decade a number of highly regarded authors were featured including Mahatma Gandhi, who visited Chatham House in 1931 to give a speech titled ‘The Future of India.’^[6] The historian Arnold J. Toynbee also appeared several times in the journal. The onset of the Second World War in 1939 saw the journal suspended ‘until further notice.’^[7] Activity did not completely cease during the war, however, as a comprehensive book review supplement – often consisting of as many as 60 or more reviews – was published three times per year for four years. Taken together these supplements formed the 19th volume of International Affairs when publication resumed in 1944.^[8]

1945–1970

In the aftermath of the Second World War and through the 1950s International Affairs published many articles focused on the development of international institutions as well as analysis of Soviet foreign policy and the ongoing Cold War. The journal also maintained its global scope by covering the major events of the period for the African continent. As the wave of independence struggles gained momentum, articles for a special issue on Africa were commissioned and published in October 1960. Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere, as well as the heads of states of Tunisia and Mali were published in the journal around this period.^[9] Continuing to transcribe the major speeches given at Chatham House, in 1964 the journal published an article by Ernesto Che Guevara on the economic transformation of Cuba under Fidel Castro.^[10] Domestic political figures also published in International Affairs, including Vince Cable.^[11][12]

1970–1991

By the 1970s International Affairs had transitioned from acting solely as a record of Chatham House speeches to also publishing scholarly articles. Works by the likes of Hedley Bull,^[13] Joseph Nye^[14] and Susan Strange exemplified this new approach, including Strange's influential article ‘International economics and international relations: a case of mutual neglect.’^[15] Indeed, Strange was a prolific regular contributor to the journal due to her links with Chatham House – publishing 81 articles and book reviews between 1950 and 1996 . During the 1980s this new reputation for academic research was combined with a focus on current affairs.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger contributed an article in 1982.

Articles on Afghanistan, Iran and the Falklands War appeared alongside more theoretical contributions to the field of International Relations. International security, nuclear weapons and the continuing instability in the Middle East were recurring themes. In 1982 the former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s Chatham House speech appeared in the journal, titled ‘Reflections on a partnership: British and American attitudes to postwar foreign policy.’^[16]

1991–present

The fall of the Soviet Union created a new geopolitical landscape, and in 1991 International Affairs published its first in a long line of articles seeking to understand the new reality: future Estonian president Lennart Meri’s ‘Estonia’s role in the new Europe’.^[17] In 1995, the 75th anniversary of Chatham House was commemorated with a special issue featuring reflections by Sir Michael Howard, Fred Halliday, Paul Krugman, Malcolm Bradbury and others.^[18] The 75th anniversary of the journal itself was celebrated in 1999.

The political implications of the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States resulted in a response from the journal, with a special issue April 2002 titled ‘New orders, new norms,’^[19] which included an article by Joseph Nye.^[20] Through commissioning targeted special issues, International Affairs has covered a range of disciplines; including topics such as bio-diversity and environmental peacebuilding, global health crises such as HIV/AIDS and Ebola, and UK-EU relations.

The 85th volume of International Affairs was published in 2009. That year the first issue featured an article by longstanding editor Caroline Soper on the journal's history as well as one by former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, which looked ahead to the major challenges for the newly inaugurated President Obama.^[21][22] 2014 saw the commemoration of the journal's 90th issue and also the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. Special issues marking both were published in January and March respectively.^[23][24]

2015 saw the transition to the current editorial team. Since this time the geographical coverage of the journal and its contributors has also broadened, with special issues published on China, India and Japan, featuring authors from those countries alongside western contributors.^[25][26][27] The journal has since developed social media and blog presences, and adopted an Open Access policy, following the 'Gold' model.

In 2020 half of all contributors to the journal, apart from book reviewers, identified as women.^[28]