Special Reports

Special Reports are longer, often more technical, documents consisting of entire articles, government statements, and other documents relevant to security and peace in Northeast Asia.

NAPSNet, Special Reports

NUCLEAR STRATEGY OF THE DPRK: DOCTRINE EVOLUTION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

ANASTASIA BARANNIKOVA MARCH 15 2024                                                             I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Anastasia Barannikova analyses the DPRK’s hybrid nuclear weapons strategy and argues that its impressive progress was the result of clear strategic planning and a vision of the role of nuclear weapons in the DPRK’s defense strategy. Anastasia Barannikova is a Research Fellow at Laboratory for […]

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NUCLEAR THREATS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW PART II: APPLYING THE LAW

ANNA HOOD AND MONIQUE CORMIER MARCH 8 2024 I.  INTRODUCTION Anna Hood and Monique Cormier analyse the legality of certain threats under the jus ad bellum regime of international law that regulates recourse to war between states, before turning to consider specific threat examples in the context of the jus in bello regime, which applies […]

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NUCLEAR THREATS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW PART I: THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK

ANNA HOOD AND MONIQUE CORMIER MARCH 1 2024 I.  INTRODUCTION Anna Hood and Monique Cormier map existing prohibitions against nuclear threats at international law and seek to explain the scope and remit of such laws.  The essay explains different views and their significance about the way these international laws apply to threats to use nuclear […]

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HUMANITARIAN IMPACTS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS USE IN NORTHEAST ASIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING NUCLEAR RISK

DAVID VON HIPPEL, EVA LISOWSKI, PETER HAYES, SHATABHISHA SHETTY, TATSUJIRO SUZUKI, FUMIHIKO YOSHIDA, MICHIRU NISHIDA, STEVE FREEDKIN MARCH 31 2023  I.  INTRODUCTION This report summarizes the second year of work on estimating the humanitarian impacts of nuclear war in Northeast Asia.  Based on five of the thirty plausible nuclear use cases developed in year 1 […]

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TALK US THROUGH AUKUS…AND AUSTRALIA’S DREAM SUBMARINE

 ALLAN BEHM FEBRUARY 22 2023   I.  INTRODUCTION In this report, Allan Behm argues that the 2021 AUKUS agreement “remains essentially an exercise in political theatre, lacking in both legal enforceability and a wealth of practical detail—and Australia is no closer to the actual acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines than it was when the agreement was […]

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AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE SUBMARINES: AN EXPLAINER

ALLAN BEHM, REAR ADMIRAL PETER BRIGGS (RETIRED), COMMODORE PAUL GREENFIELD RAN (RETIRED) NOVEMBER 16 2022   I.  INTRODUCTION In this report, the authors identify the principal factors that need to be identified and addressed if Australia is to pursue the nuclear propulsion option for its next generation submarines. They conclude: “The most important consideration is ensuring that […]

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SURVEYING THE WMD LANDSCAPE IN ASIA-PACIFIC

PETER HAYES AND SHATABHISHA SHETTY MARCH 31 2022 I.  INTRODUCTION In their introduction to the book WMD in Asia-Pacific, Peter Hayes and Shatabhisha Shetty highlight key findings in the 18 chapters, examine seven nuclear force traits or tradeoffs that come with nuclear armament and shape the identity of the nuclear weapon-possessors in this region and […]

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NPT-TPNW STANDOFF: WHO CAN BREAK THIS GRIDLOCK?

NOBUYASU ABE MARCH 20 2022   I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Nobuyasu Abe underscores the need to bridge the gap between the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons so that they can together push forward the twin goals of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Nobuyasu Abe is a former UN […]

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CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC: HISTORY, SCIENCE, AND FUTURE PROSPECT

JONATHAN FORMAN AND ALEXANDER KELLE MARCH 18 2022  I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Jonathan Forman and Alexander Kelle visit some of the darkest episodes of past wars to remind us of the experimentation and use of chemical weapons in the Asia-Pacific region and the problem presented by modern chemical industry and innovation for maintaining the […]

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POTENTIAL USE OF LOW-YIELD NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN A KOREAN CONTEXT

EVA LISOWSKI MARCH 6 2022 I.  INTRODUCTION   In this essay, Eva Lisowski  discusses the potential deterrence and escalatory effects of low-yield weapons and suggests eight possible cases for use of low-yield nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. Eva Lisowski is a member of the Nuclear Weapons Education Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology […]

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