| This week, we published two APLN Korea Times columns. Mitsuru Kitano argues that President Trump’s impulsive and unchecked approach to nuclear testing has markedly increased global nuclear risks. Pramod Jaiswal and Bibek Dhoj Thapa note that Nepal’s youth-led protests are a powerfully disruptive force to governments across South Asia.
As always, we highlight recent activities from our network, including analyses on the evolving security landscape in East Asia, nuclear arms control efforts, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, China’s nuclear expansion, and more. |
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Trump’s Talk of Nuclear Testing Is Terrifying
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Mitsuru Kitano argues that President Trump’s volatile approach to nuclear testing exposes three key dangers: a longstanding inclination within his administration to resume testing, impulsive decision-making that overrides strategic national interests, and a worrying drift towards solitary, unchecked nuclear policymaking. Amplified by misinterpretation and the absence of professional scrutiny, this decision has already heightened global nuclear tensions.
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Nepal’s Gen Z: The New Wave of Youth Politics in Geopolitical Crosscurrents
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Pramod Jaiswal and Bibek Dhoj Thapa observe that Nepal’s youth-led protests were a homegrown uprising fueled by deep-seated anger against systemic corruption, political stagnation, and elite capture, rather than being primarily driven by foreign influence. This movement serves as a warning to South Asian governments that ignoring the demands of a digitally-connected, politically-aware generation for accountability and reform carries severe political risks.
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APLN has over 170 members from 23 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, delivered a keynote speech at a Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) event, discussing the evolving security landscape on the Korean Peninsula, scenarios for engaging with North Korea, and the international community’s critical role.
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| Kim Won-soo, former Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations, wrote for The Korea Times, arguing that APEC remains a valuable venue for managing great-power competition and advancing regional diplomatic agendas, and South Korea must now follow up its summit successes with careful execution of both bilateral and multilateral commitments. |
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| APLN Senior Associate Fellows John Carlson and John Tilemann co-wrote an article for Pearls and Irritations, stressing that there is an urgent need to reinvigorate and expand arms control efforts, with the 2026 NPT Review Conference approaching and global arms control at risk of collapse. They emphasised the importance of non-governmental networks such as APLN in devising fresh thinking on nuclear arms control. |
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| Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Resident Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), was featured on the Asia Rising podcast, where she discussed China’s rapid nuclear expansion, its modernisation, and the implications for Australia, India, and the Indo-Pacific. |
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| C Uday Bhaskar, Director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi, wrote for The Tribune on Trump’s decision to resume nuclear testing, warning that this move introduces instability at a time when restraint and dialogue are urgently needed. The op-ed made a special mention of APLN’s Group Statement against the resumption of nuclear testing. |
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