The 7th International Conference on Strategic and Global Studies (ICSGS) event in 2023 was organized by the School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG), University of Indonesia, in collaboration with the Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin University, and the Indonesian Students Association in Australia (PPIA ) Deakin University & Victoria. Speakers and participants came from various countries, including Japan, China, New Zealand, Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Ghana, Indonesia, Australia, Egypt, New Zealand and Germany.

Taking place at Deakin Downtown, ICSGS 2023 was held over two days, on 24-25 July 2023. The theme of the conference was “Democracy, Development, and Digital Culture: Building Resilience after Pandemic”.

On the occasion of the first day, the Director of SKSG, Athor Subroto, Ph.D., gave an opening speech with an emphasis on collaboration between academics to be able to solve global problems that are disruptive and could disrupt world security. He also expressed his deepest gratitude to Mr. Bahlil Lahadalia as Minister of Investment, the Australian Representative Investment Coordinating Board, the Cultural Education Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, the Asia New Zealand Foundation, PT. Pupuk Indonesia, PT. Indobara Sukses Makmur, and PT. Pertamina has become a sponsor of the 7th ICSGS conference. Also present as host, Prof. Matthew Clarke, Pro Vice Chancellor Deakin University, also gave a short foreword welcoming this conference and emphasizing how this theme has been responded to well and anticipates the changes that will occur.

In his friendly introduction, Mr. Kuncoro Waseso, as Consul General of Indonesia in Melbourne, gave a soothing statement. He said that the Indonesian Government is committed to participating in solving global problems, maintaining world peace, while supporting sustainable development. Apart from that, the importance of mutual cooperation or collaboration is something that he puts forward in realizing the Indonesian Government’s commitment above.

Prof. Vedi R. Hadiz from the University of Melbourne, who was the first Keynote Speaker, spoke about important things that complemented the questions mentioned previously. He paid attention to what is especially happening in the world, namely the issue of inequality. There is control of wealth distributed among a few people, both in the world and in Indonesia. Specifically for Indonesia, citing a World Bank report, 1% of Indonesians control 50% of Indonesia’s wealth. According to Prof. Vedi, this will affect many areas, including how we can realize Social Justice for all Indonesian People. In this context, regarding election activities that will be held next year, the candidates who will run have not yet made this issue their main concern.

The next Keynote Speaker, Prof. Greg Barton from the Alfred Deakin Institute provides an overview of world megatrends in various aspects. The first relates to how the West is experiencing some serious problems even though it has not experienced a downfall. This can be seen in the Ukrainian crisis caused by the war with Russia. The second aspect highlighted by Prof. Greg regarding developments taking place in China. This includes concerns about a war in the Taiwan Strait given rising tensions with China. In the third aspect, the climate crisis is his concern. This will be a problem that we may pass on to the next generation because of its long-term nature. We need to find a way to solve this well. In the fourth aspect, global population dynamics are of concern.

The issue swings between overpopulation and population decline. Western and East Asian countries experienced a decline, including China. In African countries, this is developing in the opposite direction. Fifth, the aspect highlighted is digital transformation. Disruption due to digital issues has brought about new phenomena that challenge various aspects of life. This includes the presence of Generative Artificial Intelligence which provides challenges in education. In terms of the latter, Prof. Greg gives notes on the question of Democracy vs. Populism. The current challenge for democracy is how to defend its principles in the face of the pressures of authoritarian populism. Thus, important notes that can be conveyed from this 7th ICSGS event.

Apart from these notes, there is still a lot of interesting discussion material to observe in the main panel discussion and also in panel discussions by presenters on special topics. Other speakers came from the University of Indonesia, Deakin University, and the University of Melbourne.

Also present was the speaker Prof. Sharyn Davies from Monash University, Prof. Anthony Ware from Deakin University, Pr