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Final Draft 16322252 - Fauzan Pratama

The document summarizes an editorial from The Jakarta Post that discusses Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines from the US and how this could disrupt peace in the Indo-Pacific region. While Australia says it complies with the NPT, the editorial believes other countries may now pursue comparable weapons. The author agrees with concerns about nuclear proliferation but argues the editorial expresses opinions weakly by appearing to side with Australia at times.

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28 views2 pages

Final Draft 16322252 - Fauzan Pratama

The document summarizes an editorial from The Jakarta Post that discusses Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines from the US and how this could disrupt peace in the Indo-Pacific region. While Australia says it complies with the NPT, the editorial believes other countries may now pursue comparable weapons. The author agrees with concerns about nuclear proliferation but argues the editorial expresses opinions weakly by appearing to side with Australia at times.

Uploaded by

Fauzan Pratama
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Fauzan Pratama

16322252

Summary Response Essay

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2023/03/20/nuclearizing-the-indo-pacific.html

Nuclearizing the Indo-Pacific

A recent article in The Jakarta Post, "Nuclearizing the Indo-Pacific," concerns Australia's
actions in acquiring nuclear submarines from the United States. The article written by the editorial
board on March 21st, 2023, in Jakarta believes that this action will disrupt peace in the Indo-Pacific
region because Australia's actions can provoke countries in the region to complement their defenses
by purchasing comparable products. While Australia has pointed to its compliance with the NPT, it
remains to be seen whether other countries will follow suit, potentially leading to a full-scale
nuclearization of the region. The editor agrees that Indonesia's action does not directly oppose
Australia's decision to purchase and possess nuclear technology to build submarines. I agree with the
opinion of the editor. However, there is a mismatch between the editor's opinion and the
information he offers, making the opinion he expresses weak.

According to the editor's explanation, Australia will purchase nuclear-powered submarines


even if they are not equipped with nuclear weapons. Members of the ASEAN region have an
agreement not to use nuclear weapons or other objects that have a nuclear stench, therefore this
will cause concern among those countries. The organization said in a letter to Biden that "The AUKUS
deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines fuelled with weapon-grade
uranium could have serious negative impacts on the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and,
consequently, on US national security." It is believed that this pact is encouraging distrust and an
arms race in the region. Australia's actions can lead to debate in the region. Despite the fact that
Australia is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which seeks to keep the world safe by
prohibiting other countries from acquiring nuclear weapons, Indonesia and the other nations in the
area ought to be more persistent in reminding Australia of its commitments under the NPT accord.
The editor's comment regarding the Australian government, which claims that Indonesia will benefit
from increased regional protection from the deployment of nuclear submarines, calls attention to a
few points that need to be emphasized. The editor appeared to be siding with Australia in this
statement, raising doubts about the veracity of what he had to say. As a result, I disagree with what
that editor said.

Australia has joined AUKUS, a trilateral alliance made up of the US, UK, and Australia, to
counter China's growing military power in the Indo-Pacific region. By accident, Australia is now part
of the "elite" group guiding US efforts to obstruct China's military buildup. Despite continuously
trying to mirror efforts to prevent the use of nuclear weapons in the ASEAN region, Indonesia's
posture is in this case caving to Australia's plan. The reactions to the initial AUKUS announcement in
September 2021 vary throughout Southeast Asian nations. While Singapore and Vietnam implied
support, the Philippine national security establishment welcomed the trilateral agreement. However,
Malaysia and Indonesia cautioned against the dangers of nuclear proliferation, the arms race, and
the risk that the AUKUS would spur some nations to take aggressive action (Chong, 2023). The
Foreign Ministry reminded Canberra in a statement that safeguards required by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be implemented, including an impartial, trustworthy, and open
verification mechanism. Because of its strategic location and the gains it has made over the past few
years, Indonesia, in my opinion, plays a crucial part in sustaining peace in the Indo-Pacific area. In
order to address these issues, the Indonesian government must adopt a clear stance.

The possibility that states without nuclear weapons will secretly acquire nuclear-powered
submarines as a means of obtaining nuclear weapons is a bigger worry. Despite Canberra's pledges
to uphold the NPT, there is no guarantee that other nations won't do the same. The argument is
similar to one made by James Acton, who said that nations may acquire nuclear weapons under the
guise of Australia's status as a nuclear-weapon-free state. In my opinion, the AUKUS submarine
contract has negative and significant effects on non-proliferation. Australia will need to be the first
non-nuclear weapon state to use a loophole that enables it to remove nuclear material from the
inspection system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in order to operate nuclear-
powered submarines.

In conclusion, nothing can stop Australia from buying nuclear submarines. Our responsibility
going forward is to constantly watch Australia and make sure it abides by the NPT agreement.
Additionally, readers must exercise caution because there are a number of editorial opinions that can
lead to misunderstandings, particularly with regard to partiality. As a result, the editor needs to be
more attentive and objective when expressing his opinions.

References
Acton, J. M. (2021). Why the AUKUS Submarine Deal Is Bad for Nonproliferation-And What to Do
About It. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved from
https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/09/21/why-aukus-submarine-deal-is-bad-for-
nonproliferationand-%20what-to-do-about-it-pub-85399

Chong, I. S. (2023). The AUKUS Announcement and Southeast Asia: An Assessment of Regional
Responses and Concerns. Singapore: ISEAS Perspective. Retrieved from
https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/iseas-perspective/2023-23-the-aukus-
announcement-and-southeast-asia-an-assessment-of-regional-responses-and-concerns-by-
ian-storey-and-william-choong/

Desk, C. (2022). AUKAS: Analysis of its Claimed Objectives in Asia-Pacific. Pakistan: DND Thought
Center. Retrieved from https://dnd.com.pk/aukas-analysis-of-its-claimed-objectives-in-asia-
pacific/266527

Shoebridge, M. (2021). What is AUKUS and what is it not? Australia: ASPI. Retrieved from http://ad-
aspi.s3.amazonaws.com/2021-12/What%20is%20AUKUS%20and%20what%20is%20it
%20not.pdf

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