| This week, we welcome Indonesian Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja to the APLN network. Senior Research Adviser Manpreet Sethi speaks with Carlos Sorreta about the erosion of global nuclear diplomacy and the growing challenges to international legal frameworks. Alvin Chew argues in a new policy brief that South Korea should leverage its nuclear partnership with the US to form a joint consortium for the Southeast Asian market. And Sahar Khan examines how AI integration into Indian and Pakistani militaries are reshaping the security environment in South Asia as part of our new disruptive technologies series.
As always, we highlight recent activities from our network, including analyses on the US-Israeli war on Iran, India’s Strategic Autonomy, the Korean Peninsula’s security dynamics, and more. |
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APLN is delighted to welcome Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja as our newest network member. He is the Executive Director of ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR).
Ambassador Puja possesses extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy, having served as Indonesia’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Austria, and Slovenia, and Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna and Geneva. Notably, he was the ASEAN-SOM Leader for Indonesia and held high-level security roles, including Governor to the IAEA, Representative to the CTBTO, and Indonesian Sherpa for the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. His leadership extends to disarmament and peace-building, having chaired the Chemical Weapons Convention Preparatory Conference and served as a key negotiator for the Aceh Peace Agreement. |
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Talking Nuclear:
Carlos Sorreta in conversation with Manpreet Sethi
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In the second episode of our new Talking Nuclear interview series, APLN Senior Research Adviser Manpreet Sethi is joined by Ambassador Carlos Sorreta, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in Geneva, and a longstanding APLN network member, to discuss the deteriorating state of global nuclear diplomacy and the challenges facing international legal frameworks. Ambassador Sorreta offers a Southeast Asian and ASEAN perspective on nuclear diplomacy and also discusses what past diplomatic successes can teach current efforts.
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Securing the ROK Nuclear Fuel Cycle:
Implications for Southeast Asia
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As Southeast Asian countries transition to nuclear energy, Alvin Chew explores South Korea’s strategic role as a leading nuclear exporter in the region, with a focus on its engagements with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. He argues that Seoul should leverage its nuclear partnership with the United States to form a joint nuclear consortium, ensuring a stable and IAEA-safeguarded supply chain of enriched uranium. This would strengthen South Korea’s competitiveness in the Southeast Asia market while providing maximum transparency to the international community.
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AI Is Quietly Reshaping Nuclear Risk in South Asia
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Sahar Khan analyses how the integration of AI into the Indian and Pakistani militaries has altered the regional security environment, increasing the need for credible ‘guardrails’ to reduce escalation risks and recognize mutual vulnerabilities. She argues that both countries should publicly reaffirm that nuclear launch authority remains under meaningful human control, tailor crisis communication for AI-driven incidents, and establish informal understandings not to target nuclear command-and-control (NC2) infrastructure with cyber operations.
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APLN has over 170 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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| Chung-in Moon, APLN Vice Chair, wrote for Hankyoreh and argued that North Korea is unlikely to be the next US military target due to its nuclear deterrent and internal cohesion, which present a higher risk than Iran. Furthermore, the absence of a regional “bad cop” like Israel and the potential for Chinese or Russian intervention create prohibitive logistical and financial strains. |
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| Pankaj Saran, former Deputy National Security Adviser of India, was interviewed by StratNews Global, where he shared his insights on what strategic autonomy means for India, how it operates, and the challenges the country faces in its pursuit. |
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| Melissa Parke, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, warned that military action near nuclear sites risks civilian lives, calling for an immediate end to hostilities by the US, Israel, and Iran in favour of a diplomatic resolution. |
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| Ramesh Thakur, emeritus professor at the Australian National University and Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, wrote for Pearls and Irritations and examined the dimensions of the war in Iran, beginning with the legal implications surrounding the sinking of the Iranian warship Dena. |
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