With this issue, we sadly mark the passing of Thomas C. Schelling, a giant in the field of international security studies. Professor Schelling's seminal books, The Strategy of Conflict and Arms and Influence, and his many articles profoundly shaped how scholars and policymakers understand deterrence, cooperation, and coercion. For these works and others, he received the Nobel Prize in 2005. Professor Schelling had been a valued member of the International Security Editorial Board since the journal commenced publication in 1976. This issue is the first in which his name does not appear on the masthead. Even in the final years of his life, he never refused to review a manuscript that was under consideration and always provided prompt and incisive comments. Professor Schelling also appeared in our pages, publishing five articles, including one in the journal's inaugural issue, on topics ranging from nuclear terrorism to crisis stability. Until 1990 he was a valued colleague here at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The editors and the entire field of international security studies will miss him greatly.
On a happier note, we are pleased to announce that two International Security articles recently received awards. Aisha Ahmad's “The Security Bazaar: Business Interests and Islamist Power in Civil War Somalia,” which appeared in the winter 2014/15 issue, is the inaugural winner of the Best Security Article Award presented by the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association (ISA). Joshua Itzkowitz Shifrinson's spring 2016 article, “Deal or No Deal? The End of the Cold War and the U.S. Offer to Limit NATO Expansion,” is the co-winner of the article award presented by ISA's Diplomatic Studies Section. We congratulate both authors.
The articles by Professors Ahmad and Shifrinson join other award-winning recent International Security articles. Keren Yarhi-Milo's “In the Eye of the Beholder: How Leaders and Intelligence Communities Assess the Intentions of Adversaries” (summer 2013) won the Outstanding Article Award presented by the International History and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA). Mark Bell's “Beyond Emboldenment: How Acquiring Nuclear Weapons Can Change Foreign Policy” (summer 2015) received the Patricia Weitsman Award from ISA's International Security Studies Section. Michael Beckley's “The Myth of Entangling Alliances: Reassessing the Security Risks of U.S. Defense Pacts” (spring 2015) received an Honorable Mention in the competition for the Outstanding Article Award presented by APSA's International History and Politics Section.
Finally, we have welcomed Christopher Layne to the journal's Editorial Board. Professor Layne is University Distinguished Professor of International Affairs at Texas A&M University, where he holds the Robert M. Gates Chair in National Security at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. He also has contributed to these pages. Readers will be familiar with his important 1994 critique of the “democratic peace,” as well as his articles on the future of unipolarity and U.S. grand strategy.
—The Editors