A. Heaps, then vice-president for internal operations within IRSAM, compiled a collection of works by students, professors, and affiliates to produce the first edition, entitled Canada in the World.

Early contributors included Louise Arbour, former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and renowned Canadian historian Desmond Morton.

In 2013, Ameya Pendse, then IRSAM Vice-President of Internal Operations, expanded the publication to include an online platform with the aim of engaging a wider year-round readership, both within and beyond McGill.

The focus of the online edition is to offer fresh perspectives on "hot topics" as well as cover relatively-unexplored subjects and issues, fostering productive discussion and debate on international affairs.

Under Dylan Lamberti (Editor in Chief, Online) and Miro Guzzini (Editor in Chief, Print), 2016-17 saw an exponential growth in readership, a dramatic increase in high quality submissions, and the production of more professionalized media projects (teaser videos, short documentaries, dynamic interviews with high-profile figures, podcasts, etc.)

This team effort earned MIR its first nomination for Publication of the Year by the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU), as well as numerous academic citations.

In the Fall and Winter semesters, MIR oversaw the production of teams specialized in the 2019 Canadian Federal Elections and the 2020 American Democratic Primaries.