The 2026 British International Studies Association annual conference will take place in Brighton this year and marks a new era. Last year, BISA celebrated its 50th anniversary. This year, we look to the future: how has the discipline of international relations changed, and what has stayed the same? How have war and peace changed in the 21st century, and how can we, as scholars, interpret these changes? Hundreds of scholars from around the world will join us in Brighton. As a BISA journal, the Review of International Studies has an important role to play. Along with our panels, including opportunities to meet and discuss research with our editors, the journal also has an extensive archive to draw on to prepare attendees for BISA events. The articles in this collection give a preview of the events, and also a few articles related to the theme of the conference: “Is International Studies ready for what comes next? New thinking, new directions.”
The keynote speaker this year is Professor Kimberly Hutchings from Queen Mary University London. Her talk is entitled: ‘Violence and the Meaning of Peace’. We’ve selected a few articles by Professor Hutchings from our archives to celebrate her influence on the discipline.
The United Nations Association will host an event on the UN at 80. The articles selected here also offer a discussion on the role of the UN in IR more broadly. For more, be sure to read our UN Special Collection.
Finally, the theme this year is all about the future, so we’ve selected several articles that engage with the way IR is evolving and what we can expect in the future.