Editors' Note

This year marks a profound point in the course of human events and the conduct of international relations. One hundred years ago, the First World War had just concluded, and that same year, the Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded with the hope of learning the lessons of the terrible war to prevent another global failure of this level. Four years of unprecedented suffering resulted in concrete change that would fundamentally alter the international landscape for the century ahead.

A reflection and internalization of the past must inform our path moving forward. War is not only a toxic mixture of hate and fear culminating in violence, but also a great failure of diplomacy. As many nations remain engaged in two "forever wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan, one may be curious about the lack of urgency to end the violence and forge peace. With a growing civilian-military divide, fewer citizens engage in war and—for those few citizens—the burden grows increasingly heavy. War-affected peoples, from the 18-year-old soldier from Nebraska to the Syrian refugee in Germany, often remain one-dimensional anecdotes in the minds of many. Many citizens in the world believe the lessons of history and war are not applicable to how we live our daily lives because the circumstances of war-affected peoples are "extraordinary."

Those who have experienced war and conflict, displacement and hunger, exploitation and sexual violence understand the urgency of actively engaging history and applying these lessons to the present. They understand their situation is not, in any way, extraordinary. For many of us engaged in conversation, even fierce debate, on these topics, our voices are drowned out in a crowd.

Individuals, governments, and non-state actors are instead mobilizing fear, which unfortunately has a reach much further, faster, and more effective than historical lessons and the occasional news story. This edition attempts to overcome fear through a dialectic review of the world's past and to provide a framework of understanding through which these lessons can be applied. How, though, do we overcome this loud, uninhibited, fear-based rhetoric? We discuss people.

This edition of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs presents not only subject matter experts but firsthand witnesses of the impacts of fear, hate, and conflict. These stories humanize high-level theoretical debates on international affairs and present how policies, rhetoric, and violence impact them. These stories are paired with evidence, research, and data so that once they reach above the white noise of fear, they can root themselves in the robust indisputable experiences of not just one but many.

We hope this edition, representing both the 20th anniversary of the journal and the centennial of the School of Foreign Service, informs, stokes urgency, and provides a framework for the leaders of tomorrow to tackle the rising conflicts of today.

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The print Journal is the creation of over sixty dedicated Georgetown students in conjunction with Dean Jennifer Long and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Enjoy reading this 20th anniversary edition. May the world be better informed by its contents.