McGill International Review

The McGill International Review

Editor-in-Chief	Stellar Zhang
Managing Editor	Rafay Ahmed
Categories	International affairs, Politics, Student newspaper, Journalism
Frequency	Daily Publication
Publisher	International Relations Students' Association of McGill
Founded	2000
Country	Canada
Language	English, French
Website	www.mironline.ca

The McGill International Review (MIR) is considered one of Canada’s leading undergraduate journals of international affairs. Based in Montreal, MIR operates as a digital publication featuring articles on global political, economic, and social issues. While it publishes year-round, MIR is most active during the academic year from September to April, when its full staff is in place. It also produces a podcast series showcasing in-depth interviews with prominent figures in international affairs, including politicians, diplomats, and journalists. The current Editor-in-Chief is Stellar Zhang, and the Managing Editor is Rafay Ahmed.^[1]

Since 2024, MIR has featured, among many others, interviews with Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations;^[2] Clarissa Ward, CNN’s Chief International Correspondent;^[3] Declan Walsh, Chief Africa Correspondent for The New York Times;^[4] Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories;^[5] Gerald Butts, former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau;^[6] Ujjal Dosanjh, former federal Health Minister and Premier of British Columbia;^[7] and Vincent Rigby, former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister.^[8]

MIR has been recognized with four Publication of the Year awards from the Students’ Society of McGill University since 2019. With an annual staff of over 100 students, MIR is one of the largest publications on campus.

MIR was founded in 2000 as a print magazine under the International Relations Students’ Association of McGill (IRSAM). Its inaugural issue, Canada in the World, brought together writing from students, professors, and external contributors, aiming to provide a neutral, student-led platform for dialogue on international affairs. Among the early contributors were prominent Canadian figures such as Louise Arbour, former Supreme Court justice and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Desmond Morton, who was leading historian of Canadian political and military history.^[9]

Throughout the 2000s, MIR operated primarily as a print publication, publishing themed editions that reflected the global political climate of the time. In 2010, a structural reorganization of IRSAM granted MIR greater editorial independence. This marked a turning point in the publication’s identity, as it gradually shifted from academic essays to a more accessible model of research-driven journalism written by and for undergraduates.^[10]

In 2013, MIR launched a digital platform to expand its reach and allow for continuous, year-round publishing. The addition of blog-style commentary in 2014 helped diversify its content and brought in new voices from across McGill’s student body. Over the following years, the publication experienced rapid growth in both readership and submissions, establishing itself as a leading forum for undergraduate commentary on global affairs.^[11]

MIR also expanded into multimedia journalism. Its team launched a podcast and began producing video interviews and short documentaries, reflecting a broader shift toward professionalized media production. In 2017, the publication’s growing stature was formally recognized when both the Editor-in-Chief Online and Editor-in-Chief Print were granted independent seats on the IRSAM Board of Directors, a milestone in its institutional development.^[12]

The following year, the print edition was rebranded as Flux: International Relations Review, and MIR became an exclusively online publication. A French-language section was also introduced in 2018 to engage a wider readership.^[13]

In 2019, MIR was awarded the Students’ Society of McGill University’s Publication of the Year award for the first time. It has since received the honour multiple times, most recently in 2024.^[14]

Since the early 2020s, MIR's editorial structure has largely remained the same. The publication is led by the Editor-in-Chief, who serves as first in command, and the Managing Editor, who acts as second in command. Together, they form part of the executive team and are responsible for overseeing all aspects of the publication’s operations. Both are selected each year at the end of the academic calendar by outgoing members of the executive team.

MIR operates with a staff of approximately 100 students each year. The executive team includes the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, several Senior Editors, and a group of Directors. While specific Director roles may vary, common positions include the Director of Contributions, who oversees non-staff submissions, and the Director of Media, who manages podcast and multimedia content. The executive team is hired by the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor prior to the start of the academic year.

Each Senior Editor is responsible for a team of 10 to 20 Staff Writers and Editors, who are hired at the start of the Fall and Winter semesters, in September and January respectively. As a long-standing tradition at MIR, Senior Editors name their teams after journalists or public intellectuals they admire. Staff Writers and Editors primarily interact within their assigned team and typically do not collaborate across teams. At the beginning of each month, pitch meetings are held within each team, where Staff Writers present article ideas. Once pitches are approved, Senior Editors assign Editors to support the writers throughout the writing and revision process. This multi-stage process ensures a strong culture of mentorship, collaboration, and editorial rigour across the organization. While MIR publishes a wide variety of formats, most work takes the form of analytical articles ranging from 800 to 1,200 words. Articles typically go through several rounds of edits, beginning with the assigned Editor, followed by the Senior Editor, and concluding with final review by the Managing Editor before being published on MIR’s website.

• Official website