Calling North Korea’s latest nuclear test an act of provocation that “can only increase regional and international tensions and hamper efforts to reduce nuclear risks,” the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network issued a statement calling on countries in a position to influence the DPRK to do so.
“North Korea can better enhance its national security by engaging constructively with the international community to build relationships with other countries based on mutual respect and support for global norms,” said the statement, issued by APLN co-convenors Chung-in Moon and Ramesh Thakur. “Development of weapons of mass destruction has the opposite effect, deepening the country’s isolation and increasing the dangers to its security, as well as further impoverishing the North Korean people.”
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New START, the last remaining arms control treaty capping U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, expires on February 5. This marks the beginning of a dangerous new era. For the first time in several decades, there will be no limits on nuclear weapons, less visibility into Russian nuclear weapons activities, and fewer tools to manage a crisis between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
NTI encourages the United States and the Russian Federation to continue to abide by New START’s limits on intercontinental-range nuclear weapons past its scheduled expiration on February 5, 2026.
Participants examined how NWFZs can be productive geopolitical tools amid mounting challenges, including great power competition, disruptive technologies, and a weakening global nonproliferation and disarmament architecture.
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