Press release
After Nearly Two Decades, James F. Hoge Jr. Steps Down as Editor of Foreign Affairs
James F. Hoge Jr. has announced his decision to step down as editor of Foreign Affairs at the end of 2010 to pursue new opportunities in communications and international affairs. His activities will include chairing Human Rights Watch, starting in October, working with an international consulting firm, and teaching at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs.
Foreign Affairs, published by the Council on Foreign Relations since 1922, is an independent magazine of analysis and commentary on foreign policy and international affairs. Hoge is the second-longest serving editor in the magazine’s history, and only the fifth in eighty-eight years.
“It is impossible to exaggerate what Jim has accomplished in his tenure as editor,” said CFR President Richard N. Haass. “He led the magazine through a period of profound political and economic change in the country and the world. He did so with an editorial vision that made the magazine widely accessible, while maintaining its preeminent role within the American and international policy communities.”
During Hoge’s term as editor and Peter G. Peterson Chair, Foreign Affairs grew steadily in editorial influence, circulation, and advertising revenue. It expanded to six issues a year, nearly doubled its circulation to 160,000 copies per issue, added several foreign editions, and introduced a state-of-the-art website, ForeignAffairs.com.
Before joining Foreign Affairs, Hoge spent twenty-six years as a Washington correspondent, then editor and publisher, of metropolitan newspapers in New York and Chicago that between them won seven Pulitzer Prizes under his leadership. He plans to continue his work with several international and academic institutions.
CFR Co-Chairs Carla A. Hills and Robert E. Rubin announced the formation of an independent search committee for the next editor of Foreign Affairs. The committee will be led by CFR Board member and Harvard University professor Martin S. Feldstein, who also chairs the Foreign Affairs Advisory Board. Inquiries can be directed via email to searchcommittee@cfr.org.
