Journal of International Relations and Development

How do narratives help states manage uncertainty in world politics? 🌍

Our first Special Collection, edited by @hildevanmeegdenburg.com & Falk Ostermann @uni-kiel.de, explores how storytelling shapes foreign policy formulation & practice.

📚️ 👉 link.springer.com/collections/...

What internal dynamics shape the International Criminal Court’s response to state contestation?

In her article, Gisela Hirschmann from @unileiden.bsky.social foregrounds the critical role of crisis perception and interpretation in conditioning the ICC's contestation management.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/e5Z5K

How can organizational theory help explain how CSOs interact with the G7?

In their article, @irisbartelt.bsky.social, Martin Koch & Natia Tsaritova study this interface as an organizational field that embodies the G7’s connection to society and strengthens its legitimacy.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/e5Z5d

How can subnational partnerships remain adaptable amid shifting geopolitical contexts?

In their article, Weiwei Chen, @filippoboni.bsky.social, and Yameng Zhang highlight the transformative potential of city diplomacy in addressing global development challenges.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/e3Lii

❄️ JIRD Winter Break ❄️

⛄ Our editorial team will be taking a break from December 22 to January 5 to recharge.

⛄ Please allow for extended response times for manuscript acceptances and reviews during this period.

We wish all a relaxing winter break!

Why did it take so long for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to adopt the concept of national security (国家安全, guójiā ānquán) into its political lexicon?

In their article, Juha A. Vuori & Jeremy Gong uncover the conceptual roots of national security in the PRC.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvSN

How do Czech political representatives and analysts work to redefine political asymmetry in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

In their article, Jana Urbanovská, Ivana Rapoš Božič, and Mária Mokrá uncover three sets of symbolic boundaries.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvSa

How is knowledge about peacebuilding produced in an intervening country?

In her article, Amelie Harbisch analyses the social conditions of knowledge production about Afghanistan in German think tanks and academia, and its structuring effects.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvRd

What role does ‘foreign policy specialisation’ play for small EU member states in international negotiations?

In their article, @tomasweiss.bsky.social & Sandra Fernandes define it as a deliberate, enduring prioritisation of a region or topic in national foreign policy.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvP8

How does Chinese aid influence political survival, and how does the effect vary across regime types?

In his article, Muhammad Al Amin argues that recipient leaders use aid to distribute public/private goods and claim credit for large Chinese-sponsored infrastructure projects.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvPn

How do power and norm contestation play out in the AU–EU strategic partnership?

In their article, @chiara-defranco.bsky.social & @ligelot.bsky.socialemploy a Bourdieusian framework to examine struggles over human rights protection in the African Union Mission in Somalia.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvN6

Under what conditions do IOs create resilient policy norms?

In their article, Antje Vetterlein & @tschmidtke.bsky.social approach IOs as social sites where international norms are transformed into ‘policy norms’ and distinguish four degrees of resilience.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eSvM9

🎉 Our December Issue is out 🎉

It also marks a turning point, since from 2026 onwards, we will move to continuous article publishing.

👉 Read more about what this means in this editorial by @ajdah.bsky.social and @matthiasleese.bsky.social: rdcu.be/eSvK8

Pssst! 🤫👋

Curious about the topics that JIRD’s December Issue will cover?

🔎 We offer you a sneak peek into our article production with a first view of the upcoming cover page. Stay tuned for more…

📚 Changes to JIRD’s publication model

📆 From 2026, we will adopt a "Continuous Article Publishing" (CAP) system, where all articles accepted for publication will be integrated directly into a single annual volume.

👉 Find out more about the changes this brings in this editorial: rdcu.be/eNhyc

Why do states that have resisted legal resolution to their territorial disputes eventually submit to legal treatment?

David L. Gebre-Medhin @forsvarshogskolan.bsky.social argues that states may accept legal settlements as a costly signal of a broader foreign policy shift.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eI5gG

📚 Want to publish a guest-edited Special Issue or Special Collection with us?

📆 Don’t miss the submission deadline for this year’s annual call on 30 October 2025!

👉 You can find more information on how to prepare your proposal here: link.springer.com/journal/4126...

Why do activists, who are aware of technocratic institutions' depoliticizing effect, still participate in transnational politics?

@felixanderl.bsky.social and @mariamsalehi.bsky.social show that activists consciously navigate dangerous arenas based on an aspirational politics.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eI4Te

How can international actors justify their roles in new social contexts?

By analyzing the EU’s aspiration for a role in the Arctic region, Aslak Veierud Busch uncovers arguments used by aspirant actors when attempting to carve out a role in a new social context.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eI4zQ

What happens to digital diplomacy after Twitter?

Drawing on theories of facework and aesthetic insecurity, @ericvanr.bsky.social argues that Twitter’s recent transformation represents a source of insecurity for states, particularly liberal democratic ones.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eI4y6

How did efficient mobilization in the Russia-Ukraine war become possible and lasting, despite all odds?

In his article, @reshetnikov.bsky.social reconstructs the discursive conditions of possibility for mobilization in both Russia and Ukraine by analyzing combatants’ rhetoric.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eI4yz

What is the political significance of crass vulgarity for the far-right in Brazil and beyond?

Anna Leander and @lulubats.bsky.social show that de-centering reason and re-centering resonance help explain how vulgar vibes spread, orient politics, and how they may be challenged.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eI4vj

🎉 We are excited to announce that JIRD has migrated to a new website! 🎉

👉 Check it out here: link.springer.com/journal/41268

Pssst! 🤫👋

Are you curious about the topics that JIRD’s September Issue will cover?

🔎 Here we offer you a first view of the upcoming cover page. Stay tuned for more updates to come!

🤖 How does JIRD approach the issue of AI and academic publishing? 🤖

👉 In their editorial, @matthiasleese.bsky.social & @ajdah.bsky.social explicate our AI policy and call on all authors and reviewers to make use of AI tools sensibly and responsibly.

📄 Read it here: rdcu.be/eGCFt

At @jird-jour.bsky.social, we have implemented a new AI policy that clarifies what is allowed and what is not. In the latest editorial, @ajdah.bsky.social and I introduce this policy, discuss what is at stake, and explicate our rationale as editors.

Read it as open access here: lnkd.in/eB-p4GNB

🤖 JIRD AI Policy 🤖

We have a new policy on LLMs and other AI tools:
🚫 No acceptance of partly or wholly AI-generated texts
🔎 Need to disclose AI use for copy-editing of existing texts

👉 Read the full policy here: www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/4...

📣 Temporary Changes to Our Editorial Team 📣

🌟 From 1 August 2025 onwards, @ajdah.bsky.social will be promoted to interim co-editor-in-chief as maternity cover for @dagmarvorlicek.bsky.social

🌟 During this 11-month period, Ajda's managing editor duties will be assumed by @melikamah.bsky.social

🌞 JIRD Summer Break 🌞

⛱️ Our editorial team will be taking a break from July 15 to August 15 to recharge.

⛱️ Please allow for extended response times for manuscript acceptances and reviews during this period.

Wishing all a relaxing summer!

How does new expert practice in international organizations emerge and gain recognition?

Drawing on the case of arms embargo monitoring by the UN, Aurel Niederberger illustrates how trans-sectoral cliques shaped practices of the Panels of Experts and generated recognition.

📄 👉 rdcu.be/eraKf