On 25 June 2026, the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) and the East Asia Foundation co-hosted a session titled “Destined for Chaos and Disorder? Search for New Regional and International Order” at the Jeju Forum for Peace & Prosperity 2026.

Moderated by East Asia Foundation Chairman and former Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, the session brought together former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, former Japanese Foreign Minister Kono Taro, former Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, and former Indonesian Foreign Minister and APLN Chair Marty Natalegawa.

From left: moderator Kim Sung-hwan with panellists Gareth Evans, Kono Taro, Shivshankar Menon, and Marty Natalegawa at Jeju Forum 2026.

About the Session

Against a backdrop of mounting geopolitical tensions and growing strain on the international order, the panellists considered whether the present trajectory towards fragmentation and disorder is inevitable. Drawing on their experience in diplomacy and regional affairs, they discussed the limits of military power, the continuing importance of diplomacy, the role of middle powers, and the institutions and coalitions needed to manage strategic competition.

Moderator Kim Sung-hwan leads the discussion on the future of the regional and international order at Jeju Forum 2026.

While differing in their assessments of the present international order and the institutions needed to sustain it, the panellists identified continuing scope for diplomacy, coalition-building, and institutional adaptation.

Key Takeways:

Gareth EVANS

Gareth Evans discussed the limits of military power, the risks posed by nuclear weapons, and the potential for middle powers to shape international outcomes through coalition-building.

Gareth Evans argued that the international order is under severe strain, but that the present crisis is not irreversible. Rebuilding a more stable and secure order will require political leaders to relearn the lessons of history by prioritising diplomacy over aggression and cooperation over confrontation.

He stressed that optimism remains an important source of political agency. Although today’s challenges may appear overwhelming, meaningful change remains possible if states sustain their commitment to dialogue and collective action.

On nuclear weapons, Evans questioned their utility as instruments of compellence or deterrence and warned that their gravest danger may lie in accidental use arising from miscalculation, human error, or system failure. These risks, he argued, reinforce the need for renewed nuclear risk-reduction efforts. Evans also highlighted the capacity of middle powers to shape international outcomes through creative multilateral and minilateral coalition-building.

KONO Taro

Kono Taro called for greater regional burden-sharing and stronger cooperation between middle powers and countries of the Global South.

Kono Taro argued that East Asia needs to develop a “Plan A-plus-plus” in response to growing uncertainty about the regional security environment. While maintaining that the alliance with the United States remains central to peace and stability in East Asia, he called for greater regional burden-sharing, stronger defence-industrial capacity, and closer technological cooperation among regional partners.

He also advocated the creation of stronger partnerships between middle powers and countries of the Global South. He argued that middle powers must first earn the Global South’s trust by addressing perceptions of double standards before a more inclusive and credible international order can be built.

Shivshankar MENON

Shivshankar Menon reflected on the diffusion of global power, the limits of military force, and the scope for issue-based coalitions.

Shivshankar Menon characterised the current geopolitical environment as a return to a historically more common condition in which power is widely distributed and no single hegemon possesses the preponderance needed to impose an international order.

Menon stressed the limits of military force and the need to return to political solutions. On nuclear weapons, he argued that they are instruments of deterrence rather than war-fighting and maintained that the taboo against their use, in place since 1945, must be preserved.

Rather than pursuing overly ambitious regional frameworks, Menon proposed building issue-based coalitions among states that are both willing and capable of addressing specific shared challenges.

Marty NATALEGAWA

Marty Natalegawa emphasised the importance of political agency, inclusive cooperation, and an international order capable of adapting to change.

Marty Natalegawa cautioned against treating chaos and disorder as an inevitable destiny. Drawing on Southeast Asia’s experience, he argued that purposeful leadership and sustained cooperation can transform difficult strategic circumstances and produce more positive regional dynamics.

He also questioned whether the response to present challenges should be the creation of an entirely new international order. Rather than abandoning existing institutions, Natalegawa advocated strengthening and adapting them to changing global realities.

He argued that any viable international order must possess an inbuilt capacity to adapt to shifting distributions of power and should enable issue-based convergence without dividing the region into competing camps of “like-minded” states.

Reflecting on ASEAN’s experience, Natalegawa emphasised that unity should not be confused with uniformity. Durable regional cooperation depends on recognising diversity and maintaining inclusive processes rather than requiring complete alignment among participating states.

Panellists:

• Moderator: Kim Sung-hwan, Chairman of the East Asia Foundation and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea
• Panellist: Gareth Evans, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia
• Panellist: Kono Taro, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan
• Panellist: Shivshankar Menon, former Foreign Secretary of India
• Panellist: Marty Natalegawa, Chair of APLN and former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia

Event Details:

Date: 25 June 2026
Time: 17:10–18:30 KST
Venue: Haevichi Hotel & Resort, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea