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AbstractThe Labour and Socialist International (LSI) was a major vehicle for transnational socialist cooperation during the interwar years and thus seemed to continue the traditions of socialist internationalism. In the realm of international relations, however, it championed key tenets of liberal internationalism. The LSI supported the idea of a League of Nations and embraced the notion of a world order based upon democratic nation-states. While it criticised some aspects of the international system, its overall emphasis was on reform rather than revolution. The article sheds light on the wider phenomenon of interwar internationalism by tracing the LSI's relationship with the League of Nations, with the politics of peace more generally and with the competing internationalism of the communists.

Inside the Humanitarian Cloud: Causes and Motivations to Help Friends and Strangers This introductory essay examines humanitarianism as both a concept and a practice. The piece discusses the tropes and ideas that sustained the construction of humanitarian causes – from compassion and solidarity to moral outrage. It subsequently focuses on strategies and mechanisms that sustained humanitarian campaigns, in particular the use of «information politics». Finally, it sheds light on the ways in which activists viewed the objects of their campaigns. In this context, the tension between identification and self-interest emerges as a major theme. The essay seeks to capture the different features of humanitarianism and its protagonists through the metaphor of the «humanitarian cloud».

How did intellectuals and politicians confirm or reinforce national categories, even when they ostensibly promoted visions of an international community? The article addresses this question through a case study of the League of Nations' mechanisms for intellectual cooperation. After a brief discussion of institutional aspects, namely the establishment of League-affiliated committees and institutes in the 1920s, the article focuses on the interplay of transnational and national practices. National actors -- for instance intellectuals and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe -- targeted the League bodies, evoking both cultural internationalism and national interests. Furthermore, nationhood was projected at international congresses -- sometimes openly, sometimes in more subtle terms -- with the pronouncements of delegates from Fascist Italy providing an interesting case in point. Finally, the article discusses how individuals sought to reconcile the multilayered nature of their activities; to this end, it considers several figures who were involved in the League's efforts to foster a 'societe des esprits'. Adapted from the source document.