Introduction
| Published date | 01 March 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241235482 |
| Author | Asa McKercher |
| Date | 01 March 2024 |
Introduction
It is a pleasure to introduce the first issue of volume 79, which brings with it great
change for us at International Journal. As keen-eyed readers will have noticed,
there are new names on our masthead. First, Leah Sarson, of Dalhousie University,
has joined me as editor-in-chief. Leah replaces Andy Knight, who completed his
term as editor-in-chief leaving the journal in great shape, particularly in terms of diver-
sifying our author base. Second, readers will see new names on our editorial board,
reflecting an effort on our part to bring diverse voices to help steer the journal. A
hearty welcome to Leah and the new members of the board and a deep note of gratitude
to Andy for his efforts to strengthen IJ!
This issue itself is full of expert analysis covering a broad and fascinating array of
topics in international affairs that reference populism as a global phenomenon and its
implications for US power and presence in the international system. Zhaksygul
Akimova, Zhenis Kydyrov, Panu Kilybayeva, and Aigerim Ospanova emphasize the
complexities of alliance management, particularly amid rising Turkish populism, by
exploring American-Turkish relations in the Caspian region. Stefan Borg explicates
connections between populism and other domestic currents in US politics and
American foreign policy and what that portends, including the diffusion of power as
American hegemony ebbs, more slowly it seems, than many have expected. Russia
and China are both keen on accelerating this development and in advancing their
own mutually overlapping interests. Lei Yu and Sophia Sui consider the
Sino-Russian partnership and demonstrate its significance for Chinese foreign
policy. Raj Verma looks at another aspect of the increasingly multi-polar global
order: the BRICS’role in this key intergovernmental organization of rising powers.
Closing out the articles on populism is Robert Snyder’s taxonomy of Donald
J. Trump’s foreign policy on the eve of this fall’s US general election.
Two final articles examine more specifically Canadian topics, fittingly, of course,
given IJ’s status as a Canadian journal. First, Michael Murphy provides a thought-
provoking look at an underappreciated aspect of Canadian international relations:
the paradiplomacy of public education in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province
—particularly timely considering recent government limits on international students.
Rounding out the articles in this issue is Christopher Spearin’s examination of the
Russian Wagner Group’s activities in Africa and their implications for Canada.
Introduction
International Journal
2024, Vol. 79(1) 3–4
© The Author(s) 2024
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DOI: 10.1177/00207020241235482
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