nuclear-news

Countries will cheat, with nuclear energy to nuclear weapons

‘The history of the nuclear era adds to the ability of cheaters to get their way…’

Farewell to Nuclear Nonproliferation Khaleej  Times Bennett Ramberg 22 December 2009 On November 26 in his final report to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors before retiring after a long distinguished career, Director General Mohamed ElBaradei dared to utter what no other senior public figure would about Iran’s nuclear portfolio:“We have effectively reached a dead end.” Coming from the individual who has done the most to coax Tehran away from developing a nuclear weapons breakout capacity, the statement proved to be stark acknowledgement that diplomacy has failed.ElBaradei’s remarks come at a time when the nuclear nonproliferation regime finds itself in increasing distress from multiple quarters, not just Iran.

North Korea, now a former NPT party, continues to produce nuclear weapons material. Syria persists in ignoring IAEA requests to come clean about its suspect nuclear activities. The agency’s effort to get members to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol — the means that would allow nuclear inspectors expanded access to suspect activities — has failed to attract many.

And the September 2009 Security Council summit to promote nonproliferation provided little new to materially buttress 
the objective.Given the grave risks that nuclear weapons pose, what explains the unwillingness of the international community to implement more effective instruments to combat proliferation? One answer comes from the NPT itself: The enforcement mechanism clearly is not up to the task. But there remains a deeper problem, the apparent belief by some critical countries that we can live in a nuclear weapons expanding world with little risk…………….

In the treaty’s language, non-nuclear weapons parties accept IAEA safeguards “with a view to prevent diversion of nuclear energy for peaceful uses to nuclear weapons….

… The history of the nuclear era adds to the ability of cheaters to get their way. Had the past 60-plus years since the atomic bombings of Japan witnessed a repeat, anxiety over yet more wartime detonations no doubt would have spurred dramatic action to enforce nonproliferation.

Farewell to Nuclear Nonproliferation

December 22, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1 | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons