History of ICON-IR
The International Conference on International Relations (ICON-IR) at Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR) was launched in 2016 as a forum to address global issues and promote international relations scholarship.
ICON-IR has since evolved into a prominent biennial gathering, attracting scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from Indonesia and around the world. It serves as an important platform for exchanging diverse perspectives, generating policy insights, and encouraging academic cooperation.
As a flagship academic initiative of the International Relations Department at UNPAR, ICON-IR has become a symbol of the university’s commitment to fostering scholarly excellence and thought leadership. By bridging academic inquiry and practical application, ICON-IR contributes significantly to global discussions on international relations.
ICON-IR 2016 | 27th October 2016
Human Security: Safeguarding and Empowering People
ICON-IR 2018 | 5th – 6th October 2018
Revisiting Bandung: Cultivating Asia’s Insights on Global International Relations and Political Science
ICON-IR 2022 | 11th – 12th August 2022
Navigating Through The Years of Living Dangerous: New Issues and Perspectives
ICON-IR 2024 | 26th – 27th August 2024
Traversing Turbulence in World Politics: Scrutinizing Scenario to Drive a New Global Order
ICON-IR Through The Years
Background
“The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.”
The Thucydides phrase from the History of the Peloponnesian War seems sensible in today’s global politics. When great powers tend to be aggressive in serving their self-interests while being hands-off from their responsibility and global commitment, on the other hand, lesser powers suffer and are left behind amidst great power rivalry. It creates a global disorder that reflects the US’s transactional and isolationist policy, China’s aggressiveness in its region, and Russia’s unilateralist move to invade Ukraine. Meanwhile, the global institutions are powerless, and the others are neglected.
In this critical moment, the marginalized states, dependent on certainty in global politics, can be the driving force to rectify the global order. They refuse to be exploited by great power as in the colonization era, and aspire for a decolonization spirit for their peer lesser power. It is in their very interests to survive by creating a favorable environment for them to grow. By being bound with each other, they have the potential for the diplomatic entrepreneur to find solutions by emulating cooperation, bringing back multilateralism, shouting out their interests, and becoming relevant in global politics.
The 5th Biennial ICON-IR 2026 calls all scholars and practitioners around the world to contribute valuable insights about how lesser powers or small states survive in today’s global politics.