Exploring the pandemic-nuclear-nexus and latest APLN network activities
Weekly Newsletters

Exploring the pandemic-nuclear-nexus and latest APLN network activities

 

9 December 2020

Dear Network members and colleagues,

We are pleased to feature recently published expert papers for the Nagasaki 75th Anniversary Pandemic-Nuclear-Nexus Scenarios project, a cross-disciplinary initiative to generate strategies that can shape highly uncertain future conditions and reduce existential risks.

Dr. David G. Legge and Dr. Sun Kim set out the global, national and corporate efforts in developing COVID-19 vaccines and the threats to equitable access in their paper, Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines: Cooperation Around Research and Production Capacity is Critical.

Assessing the Modernization of Nuclear Postures by Dr. Petr Topychkanov examines recent decisions by nuclear-armed states to expand the role of nuclear weapons in their military plans, arguing these mark a reversal of the relative marginalization of nuclear weapons.

Lynn Eden discusses the implications and differences in developing plans to understand, prevent, prepare for, and mitigate infrequent disasters such as pandemics and large-scale nuclear war in her paper, U.S. Planning for Pandemics and Large-Scale Nuclear War.

The public session of the Nagasaki 75th Anniversary Pandemic-Nuclear Nexus Scenarios project is available to watch online. The project features 13 expert papers, identifying challenges and opportunities for governments, civil society, and market actors in the Asia Pacific to reduce existential risks. All the papers can be found on the APLN project page.

The Nagasaki 75th Anniversary Pandemic-Nuclear Nexus Scenarios project is a joint initiative between the APLN, the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University (RECNA) and the Nautilus Institute. The final project report will be published this month.

 

 

Read Papers

 

 

Network Member Activities

South Korea’s Alliance with the U.S.
On 2 November, APLN Vice-Chair, Prof. Chung-in Moon highlighted intentions behind Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Soo-hyuck’s remarks on South Korea’s relations with the U.S. and China. Read more

Three Competing Viewpoints in Biden Administration’s North Korea Policy
On 30 November in an op-ed for South Korean newspaper, The Hankyoreh, Prof. Chung-in Moon outlined three competing viewpoints in the Biden administration’s potential policy on the North Korean nuclear issue, such as the denuclearization paradigm, nuclear arms control or gradual denuclearization, and the management viewpoint. Read more

Biden’s Chance to Revive Nuclear Arms Control
On 3 December in a commentary for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, APLN board member, Prof. Ramesh Thakur discussed ways in which bilateral and multilateral agreements for nuclear governance can be restored by the Biden administration. Read more

Five Nuclear Issues for Incoming Biden Administration
On 5 December in a piece for Indian Sunday newspaper, The Sunday Guardian, APLN board member, Dr. Manpreet Sethi highlighted key nuclear issues that will vie for Biden’s attention, including the extension of the New START with Russia, the revival of the JCPOA with Iran, the decision to participate in the NPT Review Conference (RevCon), the US NPR, and the North Korean nuclear crisis. Read more

 

 

 

 

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