| In our latest update, Gareth Evans argues that if world leaders learn seven key lessons from recent history, today’s international system, marked by weakening institutions and rising geopolitical conflict, may yet be restored. Prashanth Parameswaran examines how Southeast Asian states are actively asserting their agency, positioning the region as a testbed for multialignment as they navigate structural pressures and secure their geoeconomic and strategic interests.
Our weekly roundup of member activities also features analysis on ASEAN nuclear non-proliferation commitments, South Korea-India bilateral cooperation, Pakistani perspectives on nuclear deterrence, and more. |
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Seven Lessons to Escape a World in Disorder
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Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister, observes that although the current international order is marked by growing geopolitical instability, weakened multilateralism, and a decline in effective global leadership, these trends are far from irreversible. Drawing on seven key lessons from history, he underscores that recent crises have exposed the clear limits of military power and nuclear deterrence, while reinforcing the vital importance of diplomacy. With competent leadership and robust middle-power coalitions, a return to a stable, cooperative global order is still well within reach.
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Southeast Asia Multialignment Agency and Hedging Bets Beyond US-China Flux
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Far from being a passive battleground for US-China rivalry, Southeast Asia is actively reclaiming its strategic agency to reshape ties with both superpowers. Drawing on extensive field research and interviews across all eleven Southeast Asian countries and in key Asia-Pacific capitals, Prashanth Parameswaran introduces a dynamic “4R” framework: renegotiation, recalibration, reinforcement, and renovation. Mapping practical pathways across the diplomatic, informational, military, and economic spectrum, this report shows how the region can strengthen its role as a model for multialignment on the world stage.
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APLN has over 180 members from 24 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week, we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.
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| Manpreet Sethi, APLN Senior Research Adviser, was interviewed by the Malaysian radio station BFM 89.9, where she discussed whether ASEAN can maintain its nuclear-weapon-free zone amid external pressures, as even non-nuclear states begin to reconsider their non-proliferation stance. |
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| Rajaram Panda, former Senior Fellow at the Pradhanmantri Memorial Museum and Library, wrote for Global Asia on South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to India and argued that closer bilateral cooperation would enhance both countries’ strategic autonomy while enabling them to play a greater role in shaping the Asia-Pacific and the future multilateral order. |
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| Hoang Thi Ha, Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, co-wrote a paper with Pham Thi Phuong Thao, noting that Vietnam is increasingly drawing lessons from China’s experience of a strong state driving economic transformation. |
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| Rabia Akhtar, founding Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore, wrote a new policy memo examining how nuclear deterrence shaped the May 2025 India-Pakistan crisis after the Pahalgam attack. |
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| Marianne Hanson, Honorary Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland, wrote for The Post and analysed why New Zealand should reaffirm its long-standing opposition to nuclear weapons rather than weaken its existing policy. |
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