The Bomb

The twenty-fifth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs explores the possibility of nations across Asia developing nuclear weapons and the consequences for the region's security.

"For too long we have avoided thinking seriously about nuclear weapons . . . If those closest to us are preparing for a darker nuclear future, we need to talk about how we might survive in it." BRENDAN TAYLOR

As anxieties intensify about the reliability of the United States as a partner,

The Bomb examines the prospect of a nuclear arms race breaking out in Asia. Such a development would raise regional tensions to boiling point – and would leave countries such as Australia contemplating previously unthinkable options.

• Brendan Taylor surveys the outlook in Asia's potential next nuclear-armed powers, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia.
• Stephan Frühling & Andrew O'Neil ask whether and how Australia could access nuclear weapons, and if it should.
• Gareth Evans argues that Canberra must revive its commitment to leading the global effort for nuclear arms control.
• Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan analyses China's nuclear weapons expansion and the consequences for Australia.
• Gordon Noble & Nick Wood call for a new approach to climate investment in the Indo-Pacific.

PLUS Jennifer Parker on national security and Mark Harrison on Taiwan, and correspondence on AFA24: System Update from Olivia Shen, Marina Yue Zhang and Johanna Weaver & Zoe Jay Hawkins.