| In this week’s edition, Peter Hayes examines how international law constrains nuclear threats and deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, arguing that a renewed push for denuclearisation must rest on legally binding, verifiable and reciprocal agreements. We also launch a joint report co-authored by Grace Corcoran, Alexander Hynd, Sandeep Mishra, and APLN Policy Fellow Dongkeun Lee, examining opportunities for Australia, India and South Korea to deepen cooperation in support of regional security and prosperity. Finally, we co-hosted an event with the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific Studies Initiative at American University (AIPSI) to discuss US-China relations and regional security after the September Xi-Trump summit.
Our weekly roundup of member activities covers India’s technological ambitions and lessons from China, the commercial prospects for China’s SMR industry, Indonesia’s new foreign minister, and the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. |
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Nuclear Weapons Law and Korea’s Conundrum
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| Peter Hayes examines the tension between international law and nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, where both North Korea and the US-led alliance invoke legal principles to justify their nuclear doctrines and military activities. He sets out the unresolved legal questions surrounding nuclear threats and self-defence when a state’s survival is at stake. He argues that anyone shaping, studying or reporting on nuclear policy needs a clearer grasp of how the law constrains nuclear weapons. As Pyongyang increasingly treats the two Koreas as separate states, these questions will shape the terms of any future denuclearisation agreement. |
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The Strategic Imperative for an Australia-India-Republic of Korea Partnership
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On 22 October, we launched The Strategic Imperative for an Australia-India-Republic of Korea Partnership at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. The report is a joint study with the Australia India Institute, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the University of Melbourne. It explores how the three countries can advance Asian-led institution-building and strengthen regional resilience. The report is co-authored by Grace Corcoran, Alexander Hynd, Sandeep Mishra, and APLN Policy Fellow Dongkeun Lee, with support from the Korea Foundation.
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On 13 October, APLN and the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific Studies Initiative at American University (AIPSI), co-hosted a senior Track-II dialogue on US and Chinese approaches to the region and what the 24 September Xi–Trump White House summit means for Asia-Pacific states. Participants also discussed how regional minilaterals can better meet recipient states’ needs for economic development and security assistance, the growing securitisation of US-China cooperation and wider shifts in the regional security landscape.
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APLN has over 190 members from 26 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week, we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.
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| Shyam Saran, former Indian Foreign Secretary, wrote for Business Standard, highlighting how China’s development experience offers lessons for India as it seeks to draw on the expertise of its professionals abroad to become a leading technology power. |
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| Tong Zhao, Senior Fellow with the Nuclear Policy Program and Carnegie China at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, argued that China has showcased its engineering prowess through small modular reactor demonstration projects, but turning these technological achievements into commercial success will be a greater challenge. |
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| Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Chair of the Board of Directors at the Habibie Center, was quoted by Reuters in an article on Indonesian President Prabowo’s appointment of Arrmanatha Nasir as foreign minister, arguing that Nasir could play a more assertive role in scrutinising diplomatic deals and strengthening Indonesia’s leadership within ASEAN. |
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| C Uday Bhaskar, Director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi, wrote for South China Morning Post about the awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay is a firm rejection of the “might is right” doctrine, at a time when global institutions are under attack and Trump’s power politics is on the rise. |
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