ICON-IR 2026 Outputs

ICON-IR 2026 provides a platform for scholars and practitioners to disseminate high-quality research in the field of International Relations, offering clear publication pathways for conference contributions. Through a structured selection and review process, the conference ensures that presented works have the opportunity to reach wider academic audiences through reputable, indexed publication outlets.

All accepted abstracts will be published in an ISBN-registered E-Book of Abstracts by Unpar Press. Selected papers will be considered for publication in SINTA 2 Jurnal Ilmiah Hubungan Internasional (JIHI), a special edition of JIHI, and SINTA 3 Jurnal Sentris with an additional publication fee.

Publication in Jurnal Sentris is limited to undergraduate (S1) and master’s (S2) students. To be eligible for publication, manuscripts must fully comply with the respective journal requirements.

Full papers must be submitted directly through the journals’ websites no later than 7 September 2026.

Journal of Global South Studies – Special Issue on The Role of the Lesser Power in the Global South in International Politics

This Special Issue is open only for the participant of ICON-IR (Homepage 2026 – International Relations Conference).

Guest Editor: Angguntari C. Sari, PhD , angguntari@unpar.ac.id

Full-length paper submission deadline: 15 September 2026

(This should give anyone interested in submitting the paper presented at the ICON IR ample time to revise their paper based on the feedback received during the conference). For more information about the submission please read the submission process below.

Publication: Fall 2027

Author guidelines: https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/JGSS/guidelines

(visit the website for more information about submission procedure, word length, citation style, structure of the paper, etc.)

Questions: iconir@unpar.ac.id , and be sure to CC the email to journalofgss@gmail.com

Background

How the Weak in the Global South Not Suffer?

Today’s global politics seems to prove Thucydides’ phrase from 25 centuries ago: “The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.” According to adage, the great powers that predominantly come from the Global North tend to be aggressive to serve their own interests and become predatory, while lesser powers in the Global South are being taken advantage of, if not neglected.

This special edition invites submission to study the role of the lesser power in navigating the current international system. To what extent the lesser powers have the agency to prevent conflict between the great powers, or to avoid themselves from being dragged into international conflicts? Can they leverage niche diplomacy, multilateral coalitions, norm entrepreneurship, and soft power to punch above their weight in international politics? To what extent they can shape global agendas such as sustainable development, international law, environmental sustainability, human rights, and so on?

ICON-IR (International Conference on International Relations), in collaboration with The Journal of Global South Studies, invites contributors to critically evaluate the Thucydides’ phrase and answer “How the weak in the Global South Not Suffer?”.

The contributors may elaborate on a wide range of aspects of international relations, including geopolitics, security studies, foreign policy, political economy, international organizations and institutions, and transnational society.

Submission process:

We are looking to publish 4-6 original research article for this special edition. Submission must fit with the aim and the scope of the Journal of Global South Studies (JGSS). To understand the fit with the journal’s scope, vision and expectations related to rigor and contribution, we strongly encourage authors to refer to editorial insights published in the JGSS. A collection of these is available at Journal of Global South Studies .

All manuscripts must be uploaded via the journal’s online submission system at the latest 15 September 2026.

For this special issue, we are looking for an original research article. They should have a well-developed original, theoretical argument that is supported by a rigorous substantive analysis consistent with the manuscript’s methodological approach.

Please specify in the cover letter that the manuscript is for the special issue on “The Role of the Lesser Power in the Global South in International Politics”.

All submissions will be reviewed by the Guest Editor. JGSS employs double-blind peer review for its editorial decisions. Manuscripts will normally receive at least two independent reviews. Authors will receive reviewer reports along with a letter from the editors explaining the editorial decision.

Invitations to revise and resubmit will only be offered when editors believe there is a high probability that the authors can successfully revise manuscripts in a timely and satisfactory manner.

Successful submissions will generally meet four criteria. They will:

• Relate to the theme of this year’s ICON-IR and Special Edition of the JGSS
• Conform to rigorous methodological standards as understood by the intellectual traditions within which they operate;
• Establish the significance of their analyses not just to those working on their specific topic, but also to the broader field of international studies;
• Clearly specify the theoretical framework used for analysis, reference the necessary literature(s), and spell out the implications of any findings for further research.

About the Journal:

JGSS is the is the official journal of the Association of Global South Studies and published by the University of Florida, USA. The Journal of Global South Studies focuses on the countries and peoples of the “global south,” including those in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Oceania. The global south is not, however, synonymous with geographic locations in the southern hemisphere. That is, some of these countries and peoples are situated in the northern hemisphere.