July’s developments on the Korean Peninsula have brought the pressures on the non-proliferation regime into sharp relief. South Korea’s shift to a “peace first” approach signals a recalibration of its decades-long denuclearisation policy, while Pyongyang’s declaration of its nuclear status as “final and irreversible” underscores just how far the diplomatic landscape has shifted. These developments point to a trajectory that our latest work explores from several angles.

Our second Quarterly Nuclear Memo, covering April to June, tracks this trajectory in detail, showing that worrisome trends in the Asia-Pacific significantly outnumbered stabilising developments across the period. Yet these shifts are far from irreversible. In our latest APLN Korea Times column, Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister, offers a pragmatic blueprint for how capable leadership and middle-power coalitions can revitalise a cooperative global order.

These challenges also highlight the need for fresh thinking on risk reduction and international cooperation. In the third episode of our Talking Nuclear interview series, Manpreet Sethi sits down with HMGS Palihakkara, former Chairman of the UN Secretary General’s advisory board on disarmament, to examine the structural deadlocks in multilateral disarmament, the fragile future of the NPT, and the distinct vulnerabilities confronting Sri Lanka as a non-nuclear island nation. Complementing this analysis, Syed Ali Zia Jaffery explores what states can still do in the absence of new formal agreements, arguing that unilateral nuclear failsafe reviews can serve as a practical interim measure to reduce the risks of nuclear use while helping build confidence for future diplomacy.

As part of our ongoing Asia Dialogue on China-US Relations, we released two special reports this month. Tianjiao Jiang discusses how Beijing uses the complementary roles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS to advance its Global Security Initiative and reshape global governance. Meanwhile, Prashanth Parameswaran argues that Southeast Asian states are actively asserting their agency as a testing ground for multialignment, while navigating structural pressures to secure their interests.

Finally, we are pleased to welcome Jongmoon Choi and Hwang Yong-soo to the APLN Board. Their expertise will strengthen our capacity to address the very challenges outlined above as we deepen the network’s collective impact.

Thank you for your continued support of APLN. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on our work.

Our second Quarterly Nuclear Memo, covering April to June 2026, assesses global nuclear developments across four categories: Disruptive, Stabilising, Worrisome, and Dialogue-based. APLN Senior Research Adviser Manpreet Sethi and APLN Policy Fellow Hree P. Samudra find that the past quarter was defined not by a singular crisis, but by a concurrent erosion of the structural foundations of the global nuclear order. Worrisome trends, including the fractures at the NPT Review Conference and the DPRK’s formal declaration of its irreversible nuclear status, far outnumbered stabilising developments. While fragile US-Iran diplomacy and ASEAN nuclear energy initiatives offer tentative signs of hope, the overall trajectory reveals a dangerous regional decline that demands urgent course correction.

Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister, observes that although the current international order is marked by growing geopolitical instability, weakened multilateralism, and a decline in effective global leadership, these trends are far from irreversible. Drawing on seven key lessons from history, he underscores that recent crises have exposed the clear limits of military power and nuclear deterrence, while reinforcing the vital importance of diplomacy. With competent leadership and robust middle-power coalitions, a return to a stable, cooperative global order is still well within reach.

In Episode 3 of our Talking Nuclear interview series, Manpreet Sethi is joined by Ambassador HMGS Palihakkara, former Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka, to discuss the deadlocks in multilateral disarmament, the fragile future of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and Sri Lanka’s distinct vulnerabilities as a non-nuclear island nation. Drawing on his experience at the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador Palihakkara compares the nuclear landscape of the past with today’s increasingly complex security environment, and considers what these shifts mean for smaller states navigating great-power competition.

Tianjiao Jiang examines how China is advancing its Global Security Initiative through the complementary roles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS. While the SCO serves as a platform for regional security and political coordination, BRICS strengthens economic resilience and cooperation across the Global South. Together, the two organisations illustrate Beijing’s broader vision of integrating development and security while pursuing incremental reforms to global governance. The paper also explores how both institutions are evolving to address emerging challenges, and what their continued expansion could mean for regional stability and the international order.

Southeast Asian states are actively asserting their strategic agency, challenging the assumption that the region is simply a battleground for US-China rivalry. Drawing on extensive field research and interviews across all eleven Southeast Asian countries and in key Asia-Pacific capitals, Prashanth Parameswaran introduces a dynamic “4R” framework: renegotiation, recalibration, reinforcement, and renovation. Mapping practical pathways across the diplomatic, informational, military, and economic spectrum, this report shows how the region can strengthen its role as a model for multialignment on the world stage.

With traditional arms control mechanisms in decline and geopolitical tensions narrowing prospects for new agreements, Syed Ali Zia Jaffery argues that unilateral nuclear failsafe reviews offer a practical means of reducing the risks of unauthorised, inadvertent, or accidental nuclear use. Such reviews could assess the resilience of nuclear enterprises against emerging and disruptive technologies, provide more transparency, and reassure both domestic and international audiences. While no substitute for formal arms control agreements, failsafe reviews could help rebuild confidence and lay the groundwork for renewed diplomatic engagement.

We are delighted to welcome two distinguished new members to APLN’s Governing Board:

Ambassador Jongmoon Choi, Senior Consultant at Yoon & Yang LLC and Member of the Advisory Council at IISS (UK). Ambassador Choi previously served as ROK Second Vice Foreign Minister and ROK Ambassador to France.

Professor Hwang Yong-soo, Distinguished Professor for special affairs in KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS).

We look forward to their engagement and contributions to APLN’s work programme and governance.