How does China see the SCO and BRICS contributing to stability in Asia, and what could prevent them from doing so? A new APLN report by Dr Jiang Tianjiao takes a closer look. 🧵

For the first time since the 1980s, all nine nuclear-armed states are expanding their arsenals at once. Our new Quarterly Nuclear Memo by Manpreet Sethi and @hreepsamudra.bsky.social maps a quarter where worrying developments clearly outnumbered stabilising ones. a thread🧵

The traditional security architecture in the Asia-Pacific is undergoing a seismic shift. Southeast Asian nations must pull together better and burnish ASEAN’s reputation as an economic power amid China-US rivalry, Piper Campbell argues. Read the full essay here: globalasia.org/v21no2/cover...

In this Talking Nuclear episode, he sits down with Dr Manpreet Sethi on the CD deadlock, an unfulfilled Article 6, and what "might is right" costs small non-nuclear states. ▶️ Watch it here : www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehe2...

APLN Talking Nuclear Ep 03

YouTube video by Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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"Bomb your way into non-proliferation, and more countries will just decide to build the bomb." Sri Lanka's former Foreign Secretary HMGS Palihakkara on why force backfires and the NPT is fraying. A thread🧵

South Korea is walking a complex strategic tightrope between its top security ally (🇺🇸) and its massive economic neighbour (🇨🇳). Reliant on both in different ways, South Korea needs a wise mix of approaches, says Sang Hyun Lee. Read Full Essay here: globalasia.org/v21no2/cover...

A truly rich compendium of essays from experts across the Asia-Pacific!

Asia-Pacific Leadership Network@apln.network · last mo.

Out now: A new collaborative collection of essays from APLN and the Global Asia! This volume explores how regional states are evolving their defence policies and partnerships with each other, Washington, and Beijing. Read the full collection here: www.apln.network/projects/asi...

I comment on India's interest in GCAP and FCAS sixth-generation aircraft in thorough new India Today analysis, arguing that the focus should instead be on inducting the 114 Rafales and other proven aircraft ASAP. Full magazine version here - xcancel.com/pradiprsagar... cc @apln.network

Fighter jets | Seeking sixth-gen company

The future of aerial combat lies in sixth generation fighter aircraft acting as command nodes in an interconnected battlespace. India could get ahead of the game by partnering such an avant-garde jet ...

indiatoday.in

Can Japan successfully step up as a regional "middle power" ? Chinese pressure on leader Sanae Takaichi backfired and enabled a more assertive defence posture, but Japan’s middle-power ambitions are constrained by larger questions, says Ria Shibata. Full essay: globalasia.org/v21no2/cover...

This report is published as part of APLN’s Asia Dialogue on China-US Relations, supported by a grant from @carnegie.org, formerly known as Carnegie Corporation of New York.

US Policy towards Southeast Asia under the Trump Administration | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻? As the longstanding assumptions about US power and presence in Southeast Asia come under strain, a new APLN report by former US Ambassador Piper Campbell asks what comes next for #SoutheastAsia. Read: www.apln.network/projects/asi...

US Policy towards Southeast Asia under the Trump Administration | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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The global nuclear landscape is shifting fast. The 11th NPT Review Conference has concluded without a consensus, just as the Trump-Xi summit brings a high-stakes return to leader-level diplomacy. Read @apln.network's latest analysis on these critical security trends: www.apln.network

Why did the 11th NPT Review Conference collapse without consensus? In our new APLN commentary, Manpreet Sethi and @hreepsamudra.bsky.social argue that misses what actually happened. The Iran fight just made the deeper rot visible. 🧵

In this APLN The Korea Times column, Marianne Hanson argues that the 2026 #NPT Review Conference's failure to reach consensus is symptomatic of a deep malaise in the non-proliferation regime. Read here ⤵️ www.apln.network/analysis/the...

More coordinated efforts needed to reduce nuclear weapons | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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In this policy brief, Dr. Jingdong Yuan provides an assessment of China’s strategic pivot toward military intelligentisation, exploring how Beijing is integrating #AI into the #PLA to gain a decisive edge in its rivalry with the US. www.apln.network/analysis/pol...

The NPT review Conference concluded without a consensus-based outcomes document - for the third time in a row. The structural faultlines of the NPT are now starkly visible. At @apln.network we are capturing insights on the 11th RevCon and the future of the NPT. See: www.apln.network/analysis/res...

11th NPT Review Conference | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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New from APLN: Dr. Jingdong Yuan provides a timely assessment of Chinese perspectives on artificial intelligence and its military applications, with particular attention to the AI-nuclear nexus. Read the full paper here: www.apln.network/analysis/pol...

China and AI-Military Integration: Perspectives, Opportunities, and Challenges | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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Asian minilaterals grown in number across the Indo-Pacific, drawing DC’s attention. @kellygrieco.bsky.social at @stimsoncenter.bsky.social notes that US expectations for Asian minilaterals are increasingly disconnected from regional realities. Read the full report: www.apln.network/projects/asi...

As 🇺🇸-🇨🇳 competition intensifies, Malaysia finds itself at a critical geostrategic crossroads. How does 🇲🇾 safeguard its strategic autonomy? Chiew-Ping Hoo & Chow-Bing Ngeow evaluate key security risks & threats likely to shape 🇲🇾’s strategic environment in the future. www.apln.network/projects/asi...

Situating Malaysia’s Defence Partnerships: Prospects for the Next Decade | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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🆕🚨Why the 2026 NPT RevCon may face its most difficult environment in decades. Dr. Marianne Hanson warns that w/o genuine reforms and restored reciprocity the 2026 NPT RevCon risks deepening global divisions and collapsing the nonproliferation regime. Read full report: apln.network/analysis/spe...

The 2026 Review Conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Faces More Challenges Than Ever Before | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

apln.network

NEW APLN policy report authored by our Senior Research Adviser @frank11285.bsky.social on breaking the nuclear stalemate on the Korean Peninsula. www.apln.network/projects/nuc... #NukeSky

Breaking the Korean Peninsula Nuclear Stalemate: Recommendations for the United States, South Korea, and China | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

apln.network

Our @apln.network report and joint statement leads today's @carnegieendowment.org @carnegienpp.bsky.social Proliferation News - carnegieendowment.org/programs/nuc...

Frank O'Donnell@frank11285.bsky.social · 3mo ago

New @apln.network policy report and joint statement out today on new approaches to engaging 🇰🇵, following March 2026 workshop with leading 🇺🇸, 🇰🇷, and international experts and former officials. The Trump-Xi summit is a unique opportunity to advance this agenda.

Beyond tariffs and geopolitics, another issue hangs over the #Trump–#Xi summit this week: the growing risks posed by AI, cyber capabilities, and space competition. In a new report, Tianjiao Jiang examines how 🇨🇳 views these threats as increasingly interconnected. 🧵 www.apln.network/analysis/pol...

Chinese Perspectives on Arms Control and Strategic Stability in Emerging Technologies | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

apln.network

New joint statement from leading US and Korean security experts, published by APLN ahead of the Trump-Xi summit: www.apln.network/analysis/sta... #NukeSky

Breaking the Korean Peninsula Nuclear Stalemate | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

apln.network

New joint statement out today from US-ROK experts ahead of the Trump-Xi summit: time to put Korean Peninsula security back on the table. Key shift is calling for "stable co-existence" framework instead of denuclearisation as precondition for talks. More here: www.apln.network/analysis/sta...

Breaking the Korean Peninsula Nuclear Stalemate | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

apln.network

New @apln.network publication: Kelly Grieco @stimsoncenter.bsky.social develops the first dataset and typology of Asian minilaterals with neither the US or China as members, with policy advice for the US on how to respond to this structural landscape. www.apln.network/projects/asi...

Beyond Collective Balancing: A Typology of Asian Minilaterals and US Strategic Expectations | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

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🆕 📑 from APLN Former Indian naval officer Rear Adm (Dr) Sudarshan Y. Shrikhande (Retd) examines how naval competition in South Asia is reshaping nuclear deterrence and crisis stability in the region. ➡️ apln.network/analysis/pol...

Naval Competition in South Asia and the Limits of Confidence Building Measures | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network

apln.network

Hi Bluesky! Very excited because @joelivre.bsky.social and I just published APLN’s first Membership Survey on nuclear and geopolitical risks in the Asia-Pacific (basically what keeps regional experts up at night). Reposting the launch post here while I figure out how this app works lol. More soon!

Asia-Pacific Leadership Network@apln.network · 3mo ago

What keeps the Asia-Pacific’s top nuclear experts up at night? 🔍 Our inaugural APLN Membership Survey reveals the critical risks shaping today’s global nuclear order, and where senior practitioners see the greatest threats. Read the full findings here ➡️ www.apln.network/analysis/apl...

Productive @apln.network meeting today with Malaysian MOFA to discuss Asian security issues.