We are ecstatic to announce the publication of our second magazine “Trading Places.” Here is a preamble from our editors on this new issue.

Letter From the Editors

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Hemispheres magazine issue, this second issue invites readers to explore the theme “Trading Places” and its many manifestations in international affairs. With a notably larger team of contributors, our magazine has quickly become an important medium for Tufts students to share their insightful perspectives on pressing global challenges. This year was one marked by heightened student mobilization. As the debate over free expression and discourse on college campuses intensifies, our role as a platform for student opinion has never been more crucial. Continuing our mission to make international relations scholarship accessible and engaging for the broader Tufts community, this issue offers a wide variety of articles written by contributors of diverse academic backgrounds, and is designed to spark meaningful conversation about the complex issues shaping our world today.

As this landmark election year draws to a close, the inauguration of new world leaders serves as a poignant reminder of how pivotal transfers of power can profoundly restructure global dynamics, redefining the roles and influence of countries on the international stage. Donald Trump’s return to power leaves the future of US foreign policy and democracy infused with an air of uncertainty, a powerful illustration of how the internal shifts of a population’s norms and values can send ripples far beyond borders. However, inversions of authority do not always occur within institutions—the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria last December underscored the consequential role non-state actors play on the global stage. From a security standpoint, the Russo-Ukrainian War has catalyzed the formation of an increasingly multipolar world and reshaped the scope of geopolitical alliances. Moreover, the war in Gaza—where direct civilian casualties number over 44,000—begs us to reckon with the design failures of multilateral institutions. Against this backdrop, the ascendance of China and other authoritarian regimes has ignited fervent debates on the erosion of US hegemony. This past year being replete with such instances of “trading places,” our writers explore how shifts in authority, influence, and responsibility are redefining global relationships and the very structures that govern them.

Last fall, our staff editors worked collaboratively to brainstorm, craft, and revise their articles which covered a wide breadth of disciplines relevant to international affairs. While some address the theme “Trading Places” from a security angle, analyzing China’s territorial disputes and the role of NATO, others examine the evolving architectures of global governance, assessing the viability of the International Criminal Court and the role of UN peacekeeping. Our writers also explore topics such as the repercussions of sanctions on Russia and the protests in Kenya from an economics perspective, alongside pieces that offer cross-regional analysis, like the varying role of family and childcare policy across countries.

For Hemispheres, this year was filled with reflection and renewal: as we reconnected with our founder, Dr. Stephen Davis, who first launched Hemispheres in 1976, we were instilled with a new sense of motivation and drive, understanding the importance of our role as a facilitator of international relations discourse at Tufts and as a platform for student expression. As you flip through this year’s magazine, we invite you to use our articles to reflect not only on the complexities of the world today, but the profound role and responsibility you as an individual hold in shaping its future, regardless of your academic pursuits or professional aspirations.

Before you begin reading, we want to remind you that the statements expressed in this magazine are the views of individual authors and do not reflect the opinions of Hemispheres as a nonpartisan, non-ideological club committed to providing an open platform for intellectual discourse and academic publication. For endnotes, see the Hemispheres website https://www.tuftshemispheres.org.

Yours,

Ishika Gupta, Sam Sullivan, Grayton Goldsmith, and Zoe Raptis

P.S. Over the coming weeks, magazine articles will be reformatted as blog posts and rolled out individually for your convenience. Keep an eye out!