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This week, we share analysis on the TPNW following the Second Meeting of States Parties (TPNW 2MSP) in November. Marianne Hanson details the key activities, decisions, and challenges that arose from the meeting, and Angela Woodward discusses how nuclear justice is a crucial part of realising the TPNW. Meanwhile, Syed Ali Zia Jaffery sees an opportunity for strengthened US-China arms control.
In addition, we spotlight the Third Meeting of the International Group of Eminent Persons for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (IGEP), which took place this week in Nagasaki and included five APLN members.
As always, we highlight activities from our network, including analysis on the strategic culture of the Blue Pacific, Indonesia’s upcoming strategic and security challenges, and more. |
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The Second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: A Summary Report
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| The Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (TPNW 2MSP) took place in New York from 27 November to 1 December 2023. In this special report, Marianne Hanson outlines the history of the Meeting of States Parties and sums up the key activities and decisions of the 2MSP.
She underscores the achievements and challenges of the 2MSP, acknowledging that despite their limitations, the Meetings of States Parties to the TPNW are the sole significant forum for addressing nuclear weapons in a productive manner, and that these meetings should not be dismissed lightly. |
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Addressing the Legacy of Nuclear Weapons
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| In this week’s APLN Korea Times column, Angela Woodward describes how the TPNW is changing the discourse on how to approach nuclear justice — both for victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and for communities that have been affected by nuclear testing.
She argues that even though no nuclear weapons states are party to the TPNW, the fact that the treaty explicitly seeks nuclear justice is significant and lends a voice to affected communities located in jurisdictions that remain outside the TPNW. |
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US-China Nuclear Arms Control: Time for a Leap of Faith
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| Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, Deputy Director, Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research (CSSPR) in Lahore, argues that recent opportunities for arms control talks between the United States and China must be decisively seized by both countries. He argues that both countries are well placed to do so by committing to non-testing, high-level dialogue, and stigmatising nuclear weapons use. |
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Strengthening a Nuclear-Free Pacific Region
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On November 28, APLN hosted an in-person side event at the TPNW 2MSP on Strengthening a Nuclear-Free Pacific Region. We are pleased to share the written remarks of the speakers: Dimity Hawkins, Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, Maima Koro, and Bedi Racule.
Click below to learn more about the role that Pacific civil society and intergovernmental organizations play in fighting for a nuclear-free Pacific, how the Rarotonga Treaty could be revisited to reflect current concerns of Pacific countries, and how to persuade the remaining Pacific states to sign onto the TPNW. |
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The Third Meeting of the International Group of Eminent Persons for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (IGEP)
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| Pictured (from left to right): Tong Zhao, Marty Natalegawa, Manpreet Sethi, Nobumasa Akiyama |
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On December 8 and 9, the third meeting of the International Group of Eminent Persons for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (IGEP) took place in Nagasaki. The fifteen-person group includes five APLN members and staff:
- Marty Natalegawa, Former Foreign Minister of Indonesia; Chair of APLN’s International Advisory Board
- Akiyama Nobumasa, Professor at the School of International and Public Policy and the Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University; Senior Associate Fellow at APLN
- Tanya Ogilvie-White, Senior Research Adviser at APLN; non-resident senior fellow at the Pacific Forum
- Manpreet Sethi, Senior Research Adviser at APLN; Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies
- Tong Zhao, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The group discussed priorities and contemporary challenges in promoting nuclear disarmament. The meeting was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. |
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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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| Chung-in Moon, APLN Vice Chair, recalled his meeting with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. They discussed the Korean Peninsula issue, including complexities in achieving peace, challenges in denuclearization negotiations, and geopolitical tensions involving the US, North Korea, and China. [This article is in Korean.] |
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| Manpreet Sethi, APLN Senior Research Adviser, highlighted that the risks of nuclear deterrence breakdown should be part of national and international discussions. Knowledge of the impact of nuclear use should make nations realise the folly of building large numbers, touting the ideas of easy nuclear use, and notions of victory through nuclear war fighting. Meanwhile, it should underscore the sagacity of nuclear restraint in action and behaviour. |
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| Van Jackson, Professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington, wrote about the “organically progressive strategic culture” in the Pacific region and argued that this is likely due to social movements in the region finding some grounding and connection to government policies during the Cold War. |
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| Lina Alexandra, Head of Department of International Relations and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), wrote about the three security concerns that Indonesia will have to address in the coming year and summarised three important takeaways for Indonesia. |
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| C. Raja Mohan, Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, joined Ravi Agrawal in a podcast to discuss how to reengage with the Global South and whether the term is even still relevant today. He stressed that if the Western world hopes to counter Russia’s and China’s increasing aggression, rebuilding strong relationships with the Global South is more important than ever. |
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| Huong Le Thu, Deputy Director of the International Crisis Group’s Asia program, was quoted in the New York Times, where she commented that Vietnam is handling the situation well so far, understanding the challenges but also opportunities arising from competing great powers and making the most of Vietnam’s strategic position; however, the sustainability of this approach remains a question. |
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| Yongsoo Hwang, Professor for Special Affairs in KINGS (KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School), argued that the United States and the ROK should take advantage of the ROK’s existing robust supply chain for nuclear design, construction, and operation to fully compete with Russia and the PRC in time and cost. |
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| C. Uday Bhaskar, Director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi, argued that the Gaza experience suggests that there is a case for introducing nuclear-related guardrails and red lines even for non-state entities and their state sponsors. |
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