| This week, to mark International Women’s Day on March 8th, we asked five experts to share their insights on ongoing efforts to advance gender equality and expand leadership opportunities for women in international security. Dongyoun Cho, Maria Tanyag, Jiyoung Ko, Ariel Phuphaphatakarn and Innocentia Atchaya discuss additional steps needed to further these efforts and accelerate action. We also revisit Nicole George’s essay on the often-overlooked role of women in the anti-nuclear movement in the Pacific Islands.
At APLN, we also mark one year of the launch of our open-access database for Asia-Pacific Women in International Security, which lists women experts from the region working on foreign policy, defence, and peace and security-related issues. And we announce a new job opportunity for a Policy Fellow to support our growing work on nuclear risk reduction and security cooperation, and other active projects.
As always, we share recent activities from our network, including analysis on South Korea’s foreign policy, the Ukraine War, artificial intelligence, and more. |
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International Women’s Day:
Accelerating Gender Equality in International Security
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To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Dongyoun Cho, Maria Tanyag, Jiyoung Ko, Ariel Phuphaphantakarn, and Innocentia Atchaya reflect on current efforts to advance gender equality and leadership opportunities for women in the international security field and what additional steps should be taken to further these efforts and accelerate action.
This year, the International Women’s Day campaign theme, “Accelerate Action,” highlights the urgency of taking swift and decisive steps toward gender equality. It calls for greater momentum in dismantling the systemic barriers and biases that women face in both personal and professional spheres.
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Making the “Invisible” Visible: Women and the Anti-Nuclear Resistance in the Pacific Islands
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In this essay, Nicole George discusses the often-overlooked role of women in the anti-nuclear movement, particularly women in the Pacific Islands. She provides a history of Pacific women’s anti-nuclear activism, touching on women-led resistance against US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, women’s solidarity across the Pacific, and resistance in literary and academic writing.
Ultimately, George argues, that women have “laid the foundations for the multilateral solidarity that Pacific Island states show in resistance to nuclear weapons today.”
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APLN Asia-Pacific Women in International Security Database
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APLN is marking one year since the launch of our Asia-Pacific Women in International Security Database, a publicly accessible platform which lists female experts working on issues related to foreign policy, defence, and peace and security. We are thrilled to announce that the database now includes 170 women experts from across the Asia-Pacific region.
We hope this database serves as a go-to resource for journalists and policymakers looking to engage women experts. Users can filter the data by expertise, language skills, and nationality to find professionals working in the field of international security. All names were added entirely on an opt-in basis; if you would like to be listed in the database, please fill out this form. We welcome your feedback at apln@apln.network.
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Job Opportunity: Policy Fellow
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We are seeking a Policy Fellow to support our growing work on nuclear risk reduction and security cooperation, as well as other active projects. The role involves contributing to APLN’s research, policy impact, and events agenda.
The ideal candidate will have at least three years of experience in policy or a relevant research role, along with a university degree in a related field. Please note that due to funder restrictions, applicants must be citizens of Japan, ROK, Australia, or New Zealand.
To apply and for more information on the role, please contact Ms. MinHee Chang Oh, APLN Operations Manager, at changmh@apln.network.
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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, wrote for Hankyoreh and argued that Europe and South Korea must reassess their security strategies in light of the Trump administration’s shift toward a more transactional and isolationist foreign policy. South Korea needs to pursue preventive diplomacy to reduce the risk of war and ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula through summit diplomacy between North Korea and the US. |
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| Marianne Hanson, Honorary Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland, argued that the current crisis in Ukraine is partly due to missed opportunities after the Cold War, particularly the West’s rejection of a more inclusive European security framework. Now, as America steps back, Europe must reassess its security strategy in a landscape where collaboration may no longer be feasible. |
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| Elina Noor, Senior Fellow in the Asia Programme at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote for the South China Morning Post, highlighting that as the US prioritises opportunity over safety in artificial intelligence, Southeast Asian countries must balance potential economic gains with strategic interests. |
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| Rabia Akhtar, founding Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore, discussed how AI is transforming warfare, conflicts, and battlefields, and what it means for the future of global security in the age of artificial intelligence. |
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| C. Raja Mohan, Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies, wrote for the Indian Express and noted that Trump’s presidency undoubtedly opens a door that Moscow is eager to step through, whether for a lasting shift or a temporary reprieve. It gives Russia room to manoeuvre, especially vis-à-vis China. |
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