| This week at APLN, we welcome Kazuko Hikawa and Joon Hyung Kim as our newest network members. To mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Nobuyasu Abe explores the progress made toward nuclear disarmament over the past 30 years, and Ruhee Neog examines international legal obligations prohibiting attacks on nuclear facilities. We also co-hosted a roundtable event with the East-West Center in Washington DC on the roles of the United States and ASEAN in promoting regional stability.
As always, we share recent activities from our network, including analysis on nuclear safeguards, the Quad summit, India–Sri Lanka relations, and more. |
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APLN is pleased to welcome two new members to its network:
- Professor Kazuko Hikawa (Japan), Vice Director and Professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University
- Professor Joon Hyung Kim (South Korea), Member of the Korean National Assembly, former Professor at Handong Global University, and former Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
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| Nobuyasu Abe, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, reflects on the progress and challenges in nuclear disarmament since the first UN resolution in 1946, and urges Russia and the United States to extend the New START treaty. |
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| Ruhee Neog, Director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) in New Delhi, discusses the convergences and divergences in the international, regional, and bilateral legal measures that prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities, focusing on three key frameworks. She warns that even the most exacting international laws can be overturned by bad faith, emphasising the crucial role of political consensus in enforcing these norms and safeguarding nuclear infrastructure. |
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| In this policy brief, Toshio Sano examines the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, particularly its attacks on nuclear power plants, on nuclear security, non-proliferation and disarmament efforts. Protecting Ukraine’s nuclear plants should be a priority, as attacks on these facilities could have devastating consequences. He also outlines key actions that the international community can take to protect these facilities and reduce the threats posed by Russia’s military aggression. |
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| This week, Fiji released its first foreign policy white paper. APLN member Sandra Tarte contributed to the drafting and also wrote a report for APLN on the geopolitical backdrop to Fiji’s crucial role in the Pacific. In the report, she explores the concept of the “Ocean of Peace,” which the white paper describes as “the single most significant contribution that Fiji can make to peace and security in our neighbourhood and the broader Indo-Pacific region.” |
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| Together with the East-West Center in Washington DC, APLN co-hosted an event featuring Piper Campbell, APLN Senior Research Adviser Frank O’Donnell and APLN member Tong Zhao. They discussed a report written by Campbell on how the United States, Southeast Asian nations, and the broader Indo-Pacific can work together to pursue regional stability. |
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APLN has over 150 members from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.
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| Tong Zhao, Senior Fellow at the Nuclear Policy Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, was quoted in the South China Morning Post, where he commented on China’s decision not to sign an international declaration this month to keep humans – rather than artificial intelligence – in control of decision-making regarding nuclear weapons. |
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| Kazuko Hikawa, Vice Director and Professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University, published a paper on the distinction between safeguards and verification, providing a historical overview of nuclear safeguards and highlighting the limitations of the IAEA safeguards system. |
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| Fujiwara Kiichi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, commented on the US presidential debate and argued that Trump’s unfounded claims about immigrants, particularly Haitians, contributed to a narrative of exclusion and prejudice. The election represents a choice between Trump’s divisive politics and Harris’s vision of inclusivity. [This article is in Japanese.] |
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| Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Resident Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), was quoted in The Japan Times, where she argued that joint patrols are important as they reflect a shift within the Quad toward greater cooperation. However, for these joint coast guard patrols to be effective, there needs to be significantly more discussion among the Quad partners. |
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| Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary of India, writes for The Indian Express, highlighting that the new President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has recognized the importance of India for Sri Lanka’s security and economic development. |
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