| This week, we invite you to register for our upcoming webinar focusing on how Cross-Strait relations might evolve under the Trump administration; share details about the APLN members’ dinner at New Delhi where network members from India engaged in insightful discussions on contemporary geopolitics; and revisit a special report by Lauren Sukin and Woohyeok Seo, which explores public perceptions of the risks of extended nuclear deterrence.
As always, we share recent activities from our network, including analysis on US-ROK relations, the Doomsday Clock, energy security, resurgence of nationalism, and more. |
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Trump and the Cross-Strait Status Quo – views from Taiwan, ASEAN and the US
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On 20 February at 10AM KST, APLN will host a webinar in cooperation with the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research on how to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait under the second Trump administration. Kristy Hsu will discuss her APLN report with experts including Anne Hsiao, Ja Ian Chong, and APLN Senior Research Adviser Frank O’Donnell. The discussion will be moderated by APLN Policy Fellow Joel Petersson Ivre.
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APLN Members from India at Dinner Reception
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APLN hosted its first event in India since 2017, bringing together our New Delhi-based network members for a dinner reception on 3 February 2025. Ambassador Shyam Saran gave an engaging keynote address on “Are We in a New Cold War – An Indian Perspective on Shifting Geopolitics”.
Seen in the photo are APLN Members R Rajaraman, Shyam Saran, SP Tyagi, Sujata Mehta, C Uday Bhaskar, Amit Sharma, Siddharth Varadarajan, Manpreet Sethi (APLN Acting Director) and staff members Frank O’Donnell and Tanvi Kulkarni. |
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East Asia’s Alliance Dilemma: Public Perceptions of the Competing Risks of Extended Nuclear Deterrence
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In this special report, Lauren Sukin and Woohyeok Seo explore public concerns about nuclear deterrence and proliferation across Washington’s five allies and partners in East Asia – Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. They suggest that, to mitigate the risks of extended nuclear deterrence, the US should deepen its understanding of the sources of nuclear anxiety among its allies and partners, while also developing strategies to align the policy preferences of various regional powers.
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APLN has over 160 members from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.
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| Chung-in Moon, APLN Vice Chair, was interviewed by The Korea Times, where he shared his analysis of the likely consequences of a Trump-led US on South Korea’s foreign policy. He argued that South Korea should demonstrate diplomatic imagination by harmonizing national interests with values, balancing alliance commitments with strategic autonomy, and integrating bilateralism with multilateralism. |
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| Manpreet Sethi, APLN Acting Director, warned that nuclear dangers are particularly alarming, with major powers modernising their arsenals, arms control treaties eroding, and nuclear brinkmanship becoming routine, and she urged world leaders to take bold steps to reverse these trends. |
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| Kim Won-soo, former Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs of the United Nations, reflected on the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ decision to advance the Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight, emphasising that South Korea must reassess its strategies, forge bipartisan consensus, and take a proactive role in shaping global cooperation to prevent a man-made catastrophe. |
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| Eunjung Lim, Professor at the Division of International Studies, Kongju National University (KNU), spoke at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she stressed the need to diversify the energy mix portfolio and highlighted the vital role of the US in contributing to Korea’s energy security. |
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| Van Jackson, APLN Senior Research Adviser, co-published an article with Michael Brenes for Foreign Affairs, pointing out that it is time for the US to move beyond the obsolete zero-sum logic of great-power competition and that its national interest lies not in outmaneuvering China in every domain, but in an internationalist vision that prioritises cooperation over rivalry. |
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