Book Description

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the world to adapt to a new normality. It has caused significant changes to manyaspects of human life, including toInternational Relations dynamics and practices. The changes are noticeable in the patterns of relations among actors, the structure of the international system, as well asthe level of strategic significance certain issues hold. The transformation is inevitable;it seems to benecessary to make the world more adaptive to thisnew reality,more responsive to the demands of the pandemic, and more able to appropriately face and deal with the consequences and challenges caused by it. This phenomenon has triggeredthe construction of an array of discourse around these issues, which all needto be properly conceptualized to allow for the development of contemporary studiesin International Relations. This edited book attempts to cover it all. This book is a compilation of papers presented at the 2nd International Postgraduate Student Conference (IPGSC) organized by the Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia. The conference,with the theme of “Transformation of International Relations during Covid-19 Pandemic”provided a venue for IR scholars to discuss the changestothe dynamics and practicesfound in the realm of International Relations during the pandemic. The discussion wasdivided into three parts: International Security, International Political Economy, and Transnational Society. From these discussions, the book highlights three key points. Firstly, that the pandemichas undeniablycreated a bigger and more strategic space for the role and contribution of non-state actors. Secondly, ithas, at the same time, also caused an increased tendencytowards state centrism and imbalanced power relations among states as the traditional actors in IR. Thirdly, it has createda situation whichhas strengthened thefree ridercharacter of the market, manoeuvring between the interests of the people and of the state/national.