The SAIS Review of International Affairs

What The SAIS Review of International Affairs does

The SAIS Review of International Affairs is a university-affiliated academic journal operated by the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1956 as an alumni letter and transitioned into a full-fledged peer-reviewed journal in 1981, it publishes themed analysis on global political, economic, and security issues for academic researchers, policymakers, and international-affairs professionals. Operations run with approximately 11 staff, primarily rotating MA-student editors under advisory oversight from senior SAIS faculty and Carnegie-affiliated fellows.

The journal produces three core products: a biannual print issue distributed through Johns Hopkins University Press, a free online edition (launched March 2012 and subsequently redesigned in Summer 2018, Summer 2020, and Fall 2023), and The Looking Glass podcast distributed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The underlying technology stack is minimal: the website runs on WordPress, and institutional digital access is provided through Project Muse. There is no proprietary technology, data asset, or AI capability disclosed. The business model is non-commercial; revenue derives from modest print subscriptions processed by JHU Press, with the bulk of operations underwritten by institutional funding from SAIS and the Foreign Policy Institute. No external fundraising, advertising business, enterprise contracts, or M&A activity is reported.

Name

The SAIS Review of International Affairs

Legal name

The SAIS Review of International Affairs

Website

https://saisreview.sais.jhu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The SAIS Review of International Affairs is a nonprofit academic journal operated by Johns Hopkins SAIS's Foreign Policy Institute, publishing biannual print issues, a free online edition, and The Looking Glass podcast for scholars, policymakers, and international-affairs professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Journal Publishing

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Academic journal publishing
• International affairs analysis
• Foreign policy research
• Biannual print journal
• Policy podcast production

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Journal Subscriptions: Biannual print journal published by Johns Hopkins University Press with subscription revenue; subscriptions and reprints managed through JHU Press
2. Online Content: Website publishes articles on rolling basis at no cost to readers; funded by institutional support from Johns Hopkins SAIS and Foreign Policy Institute

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The SAIS Review of International Affairs is a dual-format academic publication that produces a biannual print journal featuring themed issues on contemporary international affairs, an online edition publishing articles on a rolling basis, and The Looking Glass podcast series. All three formats are operated as a program of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and published in partnership with Johns Hopkins University Press.

Product overview

The SAIS Review of International Affairs is a dual-format academic publication comprising: (1) The SAIS Review Print Journal—a biannual print publication published by Johns Hopkins University Press featuring themed issues; (2) the Online Edition—a web platform publishing articles on a rolling basis; and (3) The Looking Glass Podcast—a policy-focused podcast series. All three formats are supported by the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Looking Glass Podcast: The premiere international relations podcast by The SAIS Review of International Affairs with support from the Foreign Policy Institute. Showcasing fresh, policy-relevant perspectives from professional and student experts, dedicated to advancing the debate on leading contemporary issues in world affairs.

Products and services

• The SAIS Review Print Journal A biannual academic print journal published by Johns Hopkins University Press for the Foreign Policy Institute at SAIS, featuring themed issues on contemporary international affairs topics including political, economic, and security questions.
• Online Edition A web-based platform publishing articles on international affairs on a rolling basis, freely accessible to readers, featuring content from SAIS students, professors, academics, policymakers, and global leaders.
• The Looking Glass Podcast

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Johns Hopkins University PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJohns Hopkins University Press publishes and distributes The SAIS Review print journal; handles all subscription management, reprints, and fulfillment services; provides editorial and production support for print editions
• Foreign Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SAIS Review is the premier publication of the Foreign Policy Institute, a research center of SAIS; FPI provides institutional support and several senior fellows serve on the journal's advisory board; FPI also supports The Looking Glass podcast
• Project MusemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProject Muse provides online access to The SAIS Review print journal issues for academic institutions and libraries worldwide; extends reach beyond print subscribers to institutional digital access
• Apple PodcastsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast distribution platform for The Looking Glass podcast; enables global audience access to audio content
• SpotifymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast distribution platform for The Looking Glass podcast; provides alternative streaming access for global audience

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Foreign Affairs (Council on Foreign Relations): Flagship American foreign-policy bimonthly journal published by CFR. Direct comparable to SAIS Review in format (academic-policy hybrid journal) and audience (policymakers, academics, IR students), though substantially larger, better funded, and with broader name recognition.
• Foreign Policy magazine: Washington-based magazine covering global affairs, security, economics, and energy. Overlaps with SAIS Review's topical coverage and policymaker audience but operates with a more journalistic, commercial model rather than academic journal.

Direct peers

• International Affairs (Chatham House): Peer-reviewed journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs publishing scholarship and analysis on global politics, economics, and security. Closest international analogue to SAIS Review in scope, prestige, and policy-academic bridge positioning.
• Survival (International Institute for Strategic Studies): Bimonthly journal on strategic and defense studies published by the IISS. Highly comparable to SAIS Review's print-journal format, security-and-conflict content stream, and scholar-practitioner contributor model.
• The Washington Quarterly: Scholarly journal published by Taylor & Francis covering U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Similar peer-reviewed academic format, similar Washington policy-academic bridge, similar target audience of strategists and scholars.
• World Policy Journal: Quarterly journal of international affairs published by the World Policy Institute. Comparable academic-policy hybrid journal covering global politics, economics, and culture; smaller scale and similar niche positioning to SAIS Review.
• Journal of International Affairs (Columbia University): Student-edited foreign policy journal from Columbia's SIPA. Nearly identical operational model to SAIS Review: graduate student editors, university-affiliated, biannual print issue covering international affairs with practitioner-scholar contributors.
• Current History: Long-running monthly journal covering contemporary international affairs with single-topic issues. Direct comparable to SAIS Review's themed-issue print format and global political/economic/security coverage.

Emerging players

• The American Interest: Foreign-policy magazine focused on U.S. grand strategy and global affairs. Comparable topical coverage and policy-academic bridge to SAIS Review, though primarily online and with a more editorialized tone.

Regional players

• The International Spectator: English-language journal on international affairs published by the Italian Institute for International Affairs (IAI). Comparable academic journal format, scope, and policy-academic positioning, but with a stronger European regional focus than SAIS Review's Washington-centric perspective.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubepodcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-looking-glass/id1527636419

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The SAIS Review of International Affairs