International Security

Aims & Scope

International Security publishes lucid, well-documented essays on the full range of contemporary security issues.

Its articles address traditional topics of war and peace, as well as more recent dimensions of security, including environmental, demographic, and humanitarian issues, transnational networks, and emerging technologies.

International Security has defined the debate on US national security policy and set the agenda for scholarship on international security affairs for more than forty years.

The journal values scholarship that challenges the conventional wisdom, examines policy, engages theory, illuminates history, and discovers new trends.

Readers of IS discover new developments in: The causes and prevention of war U.S.-China relations Great power politics Ethnic conflict and intra-state war Terrorism and insurgency Regional security in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America U.S. foreign and defense policy International relations theory Diplomatic and military history Cybersecurity and defense technology Political economy, business, and security Nuclear proliferation.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	6.1
2024	4.80

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	1047

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	370

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	2.371

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

h-index

Year	Value
2024	128

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• The False Promise of International Institutions

  Citation: 1414

  Authors: John J.

• Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War

  Citation: 1132

  Authors: John J.

• Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases

  Citation: 935

  Authors: Thomas F.

• Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion

  Citation: 691

  Authors: Henry, Abraham L.

• Water and Conflict: Fresh Water Resources and International Security

  Citation: 608

  Authors: Peter H.

• Bandwagoning for Profit: Bringing the Revisionist State Back In

  Citation: 602

  Authors: Randall L.

• The Emerging Structure of International Politics

  Citation: 591

  Authors: Kenneth N.

• Structural Realism after the Cold War

  Citation: 587

  Authors: Kenneth N.

• On the Threshold: Environmental Changes as Causes of Acute Conflict

  Citation: 558

  Authors: Thomas F.

• The Strategies of Terrorism

  Citation: 523

  Authors: Andrew H., Barbara F.

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