We are delighted to present the latest issue of the Review of International Studies, Volume 38, Issue 3, in a new format. The new cover marks the publication of the first issue of the journal wholly under the control of the new editorial team. This issue brings to an end a period of transition. It embodies the central aim of the Editorial Team, which is to publish high quality articles of interest to scholars working across the field of International Studies, broadly conceived. As readers will see, the Issue includes a wide ranging set of articles, which come from different theoretical and methodological perspectives and deal with multiple empirical topics and applications. Perspectives range from Hansen's Copenhagen School inspired assessment of the concept of desecuritization and its applications, to Owens's Arendtian inspired critique of human security, to Stirk's critical historiography of the link between the Westphalian system and sovereign equality. Focuses of analysis range from the question of human rights in the struggle for access to HIV medication in South Africa in Hayden's article, to Wynne-Hughes's use of the example of Egypt to demonstrate the ways in which tourism is constitutive of international politics. We have a very strong set of papers in the pipeline for later issues this year, and are also pleased to remind you that the first Special Issue under the aegis for this Editorial Team will be published in December this year on the theme of ‘The Postsecular in International Relations’.
As most of our readers and contributors are aware, this Issue marks the end of a backlog of articles, which has been visible in the size of recent Issues. We are delighted that the number of submissions to the journal is very high. To the extent that at the current time we have space to publish only 1 in 10 of the submissions that we receive. This means that we are in an excellent position to maintain the most rigorous standards in our editorial practice in order to ensure that only the best material finds an outlet in the Review. The editors intend to uphold the traditional strengths of the Review as a forum for debate across thematic, theoretical and methodological differences within International Studies. In doing this, we rely on the commitment of many colleagues. We are deeply grateful for the work of members of our Editorial Board, to the vast array of scholars who contribute to our review process, to the professionalism and dedication of our contributors and, last but not least, to our community of readers. We hope that you will enjoy this Issue, and we look forward to continuing to work with all of you for the rest of our Editorial term of office.
