May has been a turbulent month for the Asia-Pacific and beyond, marked by military crisis and diplomatic deadlocks. In South Asia, India and Pakistan were embroiled in an intense four-day-long military standoff, following a terrorist attack targeting civilians at Pahalgham, a popular tourist destination in India. Meanwhile, the 2025 NPT Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) at the United Nations in New York ended without agreement on key recommendations for the upcoming 2026 Review Conference, exposing deep divisions within the global non-proliferation regime.

Amidst these developments, APLN members and experts reflected on the continuously shifting dynamics that are shaping regional stability in the Asia-Pacific. In our latest commentary, Melissa Conley Tyler, Tom Barber and Grant Wyeth wrote on the strategic implications of the US decision to dismantle USAID and drastically cut development funding, arguing that Australia’s continued investment in overseas aid is a calculated move to strengthen regional security in a time of geopolitical flux.

In this month’s APLN Korea Times column, APLN member Natalie Sambhi examined growing concerns over military encroachment into civilian spaces and stressed the need for institutional safeguards to uphold democratic resilience and civilian oversight, drawing on recent events in South Korea and Indonesia to warn that civil-military tensions are deepening across the region.

As the 2025 NPT PrepCom ended in deadlock, Muhadi Sugiono and APLN members Marianne Hanson, Tanya Ogilvie-White and Kawasaki Akira shared their analysis in our latest Pulse, calling for urgent action to restore momentum before the 2026 Review Conference.

Finally, Sameer Patil and Rahul Rawat focused on the risks posed by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into nuclear systems, especially in the Indian context. They warned that AI could heighten the risk of miscalculation and escalation, and proposed concrete risk reduction measures to strengthen NC3 safeguards.

We are also delighted to welcome four new members to the APLN network this month, including Alvin Chew, Yamaguchi Noboru, Wu Riqiang and Rubina Waseem. Their diverse expertise and experience will further enrich our efforts to advance dialogue, reduce risk, and build a more secure Asia-Pacific.

Thank you for your ongoing support of APLN, and as always, I welcome your feedback on our work. 

Melissa Conley Tyler, Tom Barber and Grant Wyeth argue that Australia’s continued commitment to foreign aid – despite global trends of budget cuts – reflects a strategic, bipartisan consensus that development assistance is integral to national security and regional influence. Rather than viewing aid as expenditure that could be directed towards current domestic or defence concerns, the authors emphasise the role of aid as a cost-effective tool for preventing future crises and strengthening regional partnerships.

Natalie Sambhi points out that civil-military relations in the Indo-Pacific are becoming increasingly strained as militaries expand beyond traditional security roles. She underscores the importance of strong civilian supremacy, institutional accountability, media freedom, and civil society engagement to prevent military overreach and safeguard democratic resilience.

For our latest APLN Pulse series, we asked four experts to reflect on the outcome of the third and final session of the 2025 NPT PrepCom, which convened at the UN headquarters in New York from April 28 to May 9, and examine its implications. Marianne Hanson, Muhadi Sugiono, Tanya Ogilvie-White and Kawasaki Akira share their viewpoints on what caused the deadlock, is the treaty now at greater risk, and what urgent actions could restore momentum ahead of the 2026 Review Conference.

Sameer Patil and Rahul Rawat argue that the integration of emerging technologies – particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) – into nuclear systems will heighten global nuclear risks by increasing the likelihood of miscalculation, faulty judgment, and unintended escalation. They call for a closer examination of these risks, including in the context of India’s nuclear arsenal, and explore ways to mitigate the dangers posed by AI in nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) systems through robust risk reduction and failsafe measures.

APLN is pleased to welcome four new members to its network:

• Dr. Alvin Chew (Singapore), Senior Fellow, Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office, Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
• Professor Yamaguchi Noboru (Japan), Lieutenant General (Rtd.) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
• Professor Wu Riqiang (China), Professor of International Relations at Tsinghua University.
• Dr. Rubina Waseem (Pakistan), Head of Research and Assistant Professor at the Centre for International Peace & Stability (CIPS), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST).